


Succeed Together, Fail Together

by MeganRosenberg



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bonding, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Reno, Hurt/Comfort, Male Bonding, Male Friendship, Non-Consensual Drug Use, POV Reno (Compilation of FFVII), Protective Rude, Protectiveness, Reno (Compilation of FFVII) Being An Asshole, Reno (Compilation of FFVII)-centric, Reno and Rude - Freeform, Rude (Compilation of FFVII)-centric, Sad, Sexual Assault, Shinra Company, Turks (Compilation of FFVII), Undercover, Undercover As Prostitute, Undercover Missions, drugged reno, partners, sad reno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28379268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganRosenberg/pseuds/MeganRosenberg
Summary: While working undercover posing as an escort, Reno's recklessness and arrogance leads him straight into a terrifying predicament he's not sure he can get out of on his own. Reno is understandably shaken after the fact and blames himself for the incident and for his and Rude's failure to complete the job, while Rude feels equally if not more at fault for failing to watch his partner's back as efficiently as he could have.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

xxxxxx

Chapter 1

xxxxxx

"How about another round?" Reno suggested, shifting on his bar stool and smirking toward the subject he and Rude were sent here to interrogate.

The man was named Calvin Viernes, and somehow he'd recently gotten hold of some rather top-secret information and was said to be spreading it around to people with no business knowing it.

Cal himself was rather insignificant up until now. He wasn't dangerous or important. Until now, he hadn't made it onto Shinra's radar. He had no real influence outside of his own circle. They didn't really need to worry about him on his own. He was just a rich idiot who talked too much. As long as he didn't know anything important, that didn't matter. But he did know some important things, and Reno and Rude needed to find out who told him.

This man wasn't a big deal, though he meant a lot to some of the people around him - he was rich, and by extension powerful in the eyes of some, but really he wasn't a threat… Not until he started blabbing secrets he had no right even knowing.

The easy thing to do would have been to just quietly get rid of the guy. He was talking too much - and that made even an otherwise harmless person into a threat… He couldn't talk too much if he was dead, but that wouldn't solve the problem that somebody had for some reason spilled secrets to him. That person, of course, could then spill the same secrets and more to somebody else. They had to get to the source of it and stop it there.

It wouldn't have been hard at all to just take this rich, fat guy and his cronies out all in one fell swoop, but he wasn't the real problem here. Killing the talker wouldn't do a damn thing to solve the real issue - that someone on the inside was spilling secrets to random nobodies on the outside. Reno and Rude's job now was to figure out who the hell shared the information with the man in the first place. For that, they needed to get him alone so they could threaten the answers out of him without his two body guards interfering.

"Sure thing." Cal smiled back at Reno, putting his hand lightly on the smaller man's shoulder for a few seconds longer than was really appropriate considering they'd just met and he didn't even know Reno's real name. But the gesture was a good sign - a sign Reno was succeeding with his plan. He had effectively lowered the man's defenses already, and was working on his two body guards too - with Rude's help.

Rude was posing as the bar keeper at the moment, being sure to make the guards' drinks a little stronger and offering enticing discounts on new drinks he needed a test audience for. Reno was surprised how good Rude was at playing a chatty bar-keeper, mostly keeping the guards' attention on him rather than on their client. He was telling them all about new drinks, making suggestions for fun things to do in town, even telling them stories about his past that may or may not have been true - Reno sure as hell hadn't ever heard them before... Considering the man usually hardly spoke a word. He was doing a good job.

Reno, to what should have been his displeasure and disgust, was playing the role of what was basically a prostitute. While Rude worked safely and comfortably behind the counter, out of reach of any creepy, crawling hands, Reno was right here in the middle of it - as usual - trying to get this pervert's full attention. 

Word had gotten to the Turks that their target had a habit of ditching his bodyguards for a few hours at a time if an alluring presence caught his eye - that presence being an escort. Reno, of course, had immediately offered up a suggestion of Elena for this role, until Tseng informed him Cal preferred young men. Then of course Reno had been suggested by Rude, maybe as a joke, but Reno accepted - and he actually was having a bit of fun with it for the moment, mostly purely due to the fact that he knew Rude would find the whole performance cringe-worthy and uncomfortable. Rude was the one who brought it up. He was likely regretting that now.

Reno leaned toward Cal's hand on his shoulder, flashing the man another smile, faking that he was a bit more intoxicated than he really was. He really needed this guy to suggest they go up to his room… or maybe Reno could suggest it himself - but he had to time it right. He didn't want to be too forward, too obvious, and scare the guy off. They'd never get their answers then.

"It's getting kinda warm in here." Reno laughed, unbuttoning the top button on his shirt and pulling it open a bit, glancing toward Rude for a moment with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk as he leaned his head back a bit and ran his fingertips over his collarbone, pushing his shirt a little further open.

Rude shook his head very subtly and frowned before focusing back on the guards. "These are a new drink I'm trying. Sort of combination between straight scotch and something a little fruitier. I'm hoping it'll pack a punch, but still taste sweet. I'll let you have just these two for free if you tell me what you think." He offered, pushing two rather full glasses toward the guards. "Be honest. I need to turn a profit, so they'd end up being ten or twelve gil if they're good enough that you think people'd pay it."

Reno looked back toward their target, scooting toward the edge of his seat so he'd be leaning closer to the man, then reaching toward Cal's shoulder and placing his hand on his upper arm.

"Oooh… you must work out." Reno noted, rubbing his hand lightly on the guy's muscle. Maybe it wasn't fully muscle… Most of the guy just seemed to be a solid mass of bulk without actual muscle standing out in the mix, but he had to have muscle under there somewhere - to effectively haul his own weight around.

"You like it?" Cal breathed, leaning in closer as well, shifting slightly so Reno could reach his arm even better and putting his own hand on Reno's thigh.

"Oh, yeah." Reno exaggerated, resisting the urge to turn his face away from the man's alcohol-saturated breath and to shove the guy's hand off of his leg. That was the only part of this that wasn't pretty funny to him. Playing this role was funny. Flirting with this gross bastard while Rude watched in horror and disgust was amusing… but these little moments where the man felt invited to touch him like that were honestly a bit nauseating… He couldn't let it be obvious that he didn't like it though. He had to play along for the sake of the job - at least for now.

Cal rubbed his hand lightly over Reno's thigh, running it not-so-subtly up the inside of his leg.

Reno swallowed. He needed to move this toward its conclusion soon if he didn't want this guy pawing at his actual dick. "You must be so strong." He went on, shifting slightly in his chair in an effort to subtly knock the man's hand away. Unfortunately, Calvin moved his hand along with Reno, running it even higher up the inside of his thigh.

"Let me see your other arm." Reno suggested, reaching for the man's bicep, fighting the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation when the man still didn't move his hand off Reno's upper thigh. "Bet you could lift me over your head, no sweat." Reno suggested, a flirtatious tone in his words.

"It's mostly natural." Cal gloated, flexing his arm, then leaning forward and lowering his voice to what was practically a whisper as his hand moved even further up Reno's leg, dangerously close to his fingertips brushing over Reno's dick, over his pants at least, but still...

"You don't say." Reno forced a low laugh, blinking a few times and licking his lips slightly, then parting them and exhaling a soft breath as he leaned in even closer. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately for comfort's sake) Reno knew how to turn on creeps like this pretty fucking quick. He never actually used these skills - not for pleasure at least… but he knew exactly the subtle ways to move, the little comments to make. He was good at this.

"I hardly even have to try. And you're such a slender little kitty cat. Sure I could lift you up no problem." The man bragged, squeezing his hand around Reno's leg, rubbing his fingers about a centimetre away from Reno's penis. Reno had to fight the urge to make a disgusted face and punch the man square in the fucking face.

"Maybe you'll have to show me." Reno whispered back, leaning even closer and pulling as subtly as he could at his leg, trying to get the guy's hand at least a tiny bit further away from his crotch. "Do you have a room here?" He asked, holding his breath as he waited for an answer. It was a very blunt question, but this guy calling him a little kitty cat and sliding his hand up the inside of his thigh out of fucking nowhere was blunt too.

"Yeah…" Cal's eyes brightened as he nodded and smiled. "You wanna see it? Bed's very comfortable. If you haven't rented a room here before, you've got no idea. Nicest beds I've ever tried… Yeah… You should come see."

Reno let the man grasp his hand and pull him up to his feet, glancing back toward Rude with a slight shrug and noting his partner looked far more uncomfortable than Reno felt.

Obviously Rude could see what Reno saw - that this guy was very into this, that he thought Reno was going up to the room for sex. It worried Rude. He probably was letting all the ways this could go wrong go through his mind, but Reno still thought it was kinda funny. This guy was harmless. He was kind of a pervert, but he clearly wasn't a skilled fighter. He wasn't going to do anything other than be mad when Reno rejected him, and if he happened to be the sort who might try to go for it anyway, even after rejection, Reno would karate chop him in the throat and move on. There was no real threat here. Nothing Rude needed to look so worried over. Reno could take care of himself - with this kind of thing at least.

This whole thing was going to end in about ten minutes. Reno would break this stupid fat fucker's little heart, but he'd get his answers, come back down here and meet up with his partner, and then he could whine until Rude agreed to go out for hamburgers and fries after. He was pretty hungry after all this bullshit once he looked past the nauseated feeling in his chest from the dude's hand practically grabbing his dick.

Then they'd call it a night and get some damn sleep. Easy as can be.

Reno actually was still feeling pretty amused by this as he followed the man out of the bar and toward the stairs leading up to the rooms. It was kind of fun to play this role, especially since he got to see Rude's subtle facial expressions through the whole part that happened down here, and he knew within ten minutes he was going to turn the tables and have this guy feeling like a complete fucking idiot.

"Let me pour you a drink, you feisty little feline." Cal offered as he led the way into the room.

Reno exhaled and rolled his eyes while the man was facing away from him, closing the door behind him and impatiently waiting for the guy to hand him the drink. As Cal poured whatever it was from a bottle on the other side of the room, Reno looked around the space.

The guy had a lot of alcohol on his shelf, considering this was a hotel room and he was likely not staying here that long. Reno noticed he also had handcuffs on the end table next to the bed. Hopefully for some sort of kink that would involve the consent of the other person. He had a rather sizable bottle of lube sitting shamelessly next to it. Reno frowned as he stared at it, feeling genuinely nauseated for a moment. Cal still thought that's what he was here for. He was going to be mad when Reno told him the truth, maybe mad enough to try something, but Reno would be fine. He'd fought off that kind of thing a few times before - it was never hard. Rapists tended to be more blunt than smart. They'd swing out hard, but didn't think it through and never managed to avoid a counterattack if Reno aimed it right.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't have to worry about it with this guy though. He was pretty forward, pretty pervy, but didn't seem like he'd try to rape someone. Probably would be disappointed, even betrayed when Reno told him to fuck off, but he'd know better than to try anything. As far as Reno knew, this guy liked hiring escorts, which while it wasn't Reno's own cup of tea, he really didn't give a shit if other people were into it… He wasn't morally opposed to other people being escorts or paying for them if that's what they were into. As long as it was all consensual it made no difference to him.

"Here you are, gorgeous." Cal spoke, walking over and handing Reno the drink, then heading toward the bed and sitting down, patting the mattress next to him. "Come sit. It's really comfortable." He promised.

Looking down at the glass in his hand, Reno contemplated taking a big gulp of it, but thought better of it for the moment, looking back at the target he was here to question. He'd gotten the guy alone, away from his bodyguards. There was only one thing left to do now.

"Well, come on, Kitten. Don't get shy now." Cal chuckled. "You've been teasing me all night. We're finally alone, free to do whatever your naughty little heart desires. Come sit on my lap." He offered, patting his thigh this time as he looked over at Reno with a disgusting, hungry look in his eyes.

Reno rolled his eyes again, shaking his head and placing the glass he'd been handed on the dresser. "Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but I'm not here for the reason you think I am." He confessed. "This isn't gonna be what you're hoping for." He added with a small laugh and a shrug. "But we'll get through it and both be on our way within ten minutes if you play your cards right."

Carl frowned, glancing toward the drink on the dresser, then back up at Reno. "Ten minutes? What do you mean?" He wondered. "My guards will leave us alone. We can have the whole night - and I don't have to call all the shots - if you're wanting control, that's not an issue. I don't mind being submissive from time to time. Is that the problem? You can even go first."

"God damn, you're dense." Reno smirked. "I'm not interested in whatever weird shit you had planned. I mean, you do you… I couldn't honestly give two shits, but I'm not partaking. I'm here to talk… To talk business." He clarified.

"Oh, of course." Cal nodded. "I'll pay you. You know that, right? Consider it an added bonus to all the fun. I'm pretty good, if I do say so myself, and getting paid on top of that just makes it all the better. I tip well. I assure you. If you're wanting an exact sum-"

Reno scoffed, interrupting the man. "Oh please. I'm outta your league and you know it. No amount of money would change that. I've got a job that pays well, thank you very much. I'm not about to sell myself for whatever petty cash you're shilling out to the poor, self-loathing men desperate enough to accept it. I'm here for answers, and you're gonna give them to me."

"Answers?" Calvin furrowed his brows.

Reno nodded. "You're letting shit you're not supposed to know get out to the wrong people. I need to know where you're getting your information. That's it. Then I'll be on my way. No hard feelings."

Cal frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "So you were lying down there at the bar… Everything you said… It was all bullshit. You were playing me..."

Reno shrugged. "Guess so… No offense. I mean, seriously, paying people for sex is probably not even your worst fault, man. I don't give a shit what you do. But I'm not into it, and again - no offense, but if I were gonna fuck some guy I just met for money, it wouldn't be you." He laughed.

"Well, aren't you just a little fucking tease." Cal growled, staring at Reno as though hoping just being angry enough would cause Reno to catch fire or something.

With a small smile and another shrug, Reno shook his head. "Sorry… But now we can get down to why we're really here. You've been leaking info you never had any business knowing in the first place. Shinra stuff. I don't think I need to be specific here. You know what you've been spreading around - and you're not even the one whose ass I wanna beat, so just tell me where you're hearing this shit, and I'll go find that person. It's not really about you." Reno offered. "You'll be completely free to go off doin' whatever weird shit you want just as soon as you answer my questions. Shinra don't even want you dead or nothin', so that's a pretty lucky day as far as you're concerned." 

Cal glared, making no move to answer.

"Or…" Reno shook his head again. "You can keep your secrets and I'll start breaking your damn fingers, one by one. When I get done with those, I'll start on your joints. Knees, elbows, ankles… However many it takes. I'm more capable than I look and it'd be a shame if you had to learn that fact the hard way. Your choice, man." He shrugged, picking the glass back up off the dresser and downing the whole thing, grimacing at how strong the liquid was. It practically burned. "God damn…" He laughed. "That's strong. What is that, gasoline? Fuck. You give this to all the people you bring up here? How do you even get 'em to stay after that. Fuck, man. That's horrible..." He shook his head.

Cal continued glaring, narrowing his eyes, watching with a degree of focus as Reno placed the glass back on the dresser.

"So, who've you been talking to?" Reno asked again, pausing for a moment to blink a few times and swallow. He could have really used some water right about now. That drink was way too strong and he still tasted it in his throat, like the worst, strongest cough medicine on earth. He coughed softly, then swallowed again. "Where you getting all this info you've been blabbing to everyone you fucking meet?" He repeated.

Cal continued staring back, not offering even a word to answer Reno's questions.

"Just give me a name. I'll beat their ass instead of yours. This hardly even has anything to do with you. You're just some damn idiot who got told more than he should have known…" Reno paused, blinking a few more times and inhaling a somewhat difficult breath as he started to feel a little unfocused and out of breath. He inhaled another small breath and looked back at Cal, frowning and furrowing his brows. What if the drink wasn't what it seemed? What if the guy put something in it?

Exhaling a measured, yet somewhat shaky breath, Reno glanced toward the room's door, wondering if he should get himself out of here. Rude was still down at the bar, distracting the guards. Reno was on his own up here, and he wasn't going to be very effective if he was passed out on the floor…

Ordinarily he was all for sticking through any job until the bitter end, but if this guy had poisoned him, he needed to get himself out of here while he still could - to get medical help, to make sure Rude knew what was going on so he could keep his eye on his partner and do something to help him in the event that he needed such aid.

There was also the very real fear that the guy might do something horrible to him to Reno didn't get away from him soon. Was that what the drug was for? To make sure he got what he wanted regardless of Reno's potential rejection of him? He had already expressed disappointment that Reno wasn't really here for sex… What if he tried to force it?

Reno swallowed again, taking a wobbly step back toward the door and feeling his stomach do a flip when he realized how dizzy he suddenly felt. Even just taking one step was difficult. His legs felt like jelly and his breaths were short. The edges of his vision were growing somewhat blurry.

"I'm an idiot?" Cal frowned, standing up. "Between the two of us, I'd say you qualify before I do."

Reno blinked again, swallowing and reaching toward the dresser when he began to feel even more lightheaded and disoriented. He caught himself on the furniture and exhaled an exhausted breath. He could barely even stand at this point.

"Did you fucking drug me?" Reno breathed, looking up at the man with a slight pout, realizing now just how tall the guy was. He had some bulk to him too - not necessarily like he worked out, but he was just naturally a large person - certainly a lot bigger than Reno himself.

Ordinarily, that wouldn't have mattered. Reno was a skilled enough fighter that he could take down someone twice his size easily on a normal day… but if this guy put something in the drink, if Reno was going to be disoriented and weakened by whatever it was, the man's huge size might pose a problem this time.

"You shouldn't be so fucking cocky and arrogant, little cat." Cal smirked, walking up to Reno and placing his hands on the younger man's upper arms. "You're not the only person who knows how to manipulate other people into getting what you want."

Reno let out a small growling noise as he pulled his arms away, stumbling backward so that he collided somewhat forcefully with the closed door behind him. "Get the fuck away from me, you gross fuck." He grumbled, reaching out and shoving the man's chest as Cal closed in on him again.

"Stop fighting me." Cal ordered, reaching toward Reno's arm again, gripping in a tight squeeze. His large hand circled almost completely around Reno's upper arm, pulling at him, trying to drag him away from the door.

"No!" Reno choked, shoving at the man's chest with one hand and grabbing toward the doorknob with the other. "Get off of me! Let go, you fuckin' creep!" He screamed, slamming his knee up into the man's chest and punching out at his jaw at the same time, a move that usually worked to throw off attackers when Reno had his full strength.

It didn't work this time. Cal caught Reno's arm in a tight fist just as soon as the smaller man had landed the punch. He hit Reno back, hard, slamming a fist across the young Turk's cheek, then twisted Reno's arm back behind him, slamming him rather hard against the wall near the door, pinning him painfully in place. "Don't you fucking hit me." Calvin growled, pressing his own heavy weight against Reno's back, effectively rendering him immobile and entirely breathless.

Reno whimpered a pained choking nose, pressing against the wall with his free hand and trying to throw his attacker off of him. His movements were so much weaker than usual. Nothing he was doing to fight back was working.

"Don't think I haven't dealt with countless little shits just like you." Cal growled, grabbing Reno's arms and dragging him rather effortlessly, but roughly away from the door and toward the bed, shoving him pretty hard so that he stumbled and fell face first down onto the mattress.

Reno exhaled a shaky, labored breath, struggling to push himself up with shaking arms. He was so exhausted all of a sudden, so weak and uncoordinated, almost like he was a hell of a lot more drunk than he had any right to be. He had purposefully watched how many drinks he actually consumed down at the bar in order to avoid this. Rude had even made some of his without alcohol in them.

But now he felt physically like he would have if every drink he'd had tonight was full of alcohol - a lot of it. His mind wasn't drunk. He still knew what was going on around him, but he just couldn't fight. His body was tired, his movements were clumsy. He could barely even move his limbs, much less use them to push up his entire weight.

"So many cocky little pricks fucking with me, trying to rob me, trying to get me drunk so they can take more money than they're worth… I don't end up paying full price for someone who's a worthless little tease, trying to play me, trying to scam me." Cal's voice was growing increasingly agitated as he climbed onto the mattress, shoving Reno back down, violently turning him over onto his back, and pinning one of his wrists against the mattress as he practically sat on his thighs, using his other hand to grip lightly, but still threateningly around Reno's neck.

Reno grimaced, swallowing a painful gulp and tugging at his trapped arm, then reaching up with his free hand and pushing uselessly at Cal's chest. "Get off of me!" Reno choked, feeling frustration and fear building in his chest. "W-what was in the drink?" He whimpered. "What'd you give me, you fucking bastard?" He growled, gritting his teeth angrily together. He was so tired, so weak. He hoped whatever it was wasn't lethal.

Cal just smiled, laughing softly. "Probably should have asked that before now, kitten. Do you always act first and ask questions later? Taking drinks from strangers in hotel rooms? My, my… Are you sure you haven't invited all of this then? You're the one who started this, the one who led me on, invited yourself up to my room... Does it really matter at this point what was in the drink? You can't exactly un-drink it..."

Reno breathed out a measured breath as he pushed lightly against Cal's chest again. He couldn't panic. He couldn't let this guy see how scared he was. He had to remain calm, just reason with the man, get him to let him go by providing him a good reason to. If he couldn't fight, he could use his wit. Being angry wasn't going to work, but he could try bargaining - scaring him into thinking hurting Reno would get him in trouble.

"My partner's in the building too…" Reno spoke up, his voice smaller than he'd hoped, breathless, somewhat shaky. "He'll come check on me any second now…" Reno noted what he hoped was the truth. Hopefully Rude would come check on him… The older man usually did - if things went wrong and they weren't near each other, it never took Rude too long to swoop in and save him. Reno supposed if he could do nothing else, he could also just keep the guy talking, make this take longer, stall for time. Rude did always come check in in the end if Reno didn't come back when they got separated. The longer Reno could stall this man, the better chance Rude would come help him before anything too horrible happened.

"Your partner?" Calvin scoffed, his eyes and smirk amused.

Reno nodded tiredly, closing his eyes for a moment. He was so exhausted. "Yes... He's downstairs. The bar keeper... He'll come up here if I'm not back soon, and he's a lot fuckin' meaner than I am. You don't want to be in here doing this when he comes to check in… He'll be really mad, and he'll fuckin' kill you without a second thought. Just let me go… Before he finds us in here… Trust me, man. I'm doin' you a favor warning you... He'll beat the shit outta you so bad... You fuckin' touch me, and you're dead."

"He's really protective of you, is he?" Calvin smirked, gripping a hand around Reno's jaw and offering a mocking pout. "Jealous too?" He laughed, running his hand back down to wrap around Reno's throat. "He wants you all to himself, hm? He's gonna have to learn to share. You practically promised me a good time already, kitty cat. My dick's started getting hard just thinking about what a tight squeeze you're gonna be." He breathed, almost panting as he squeezed Reno's pinned-down wrist harder and rocked his hips in such a way that Reno could feel the man's growing erection pressing against his thigh.

Tugging at his arm in frustration and balling his other hand into a fist, Reno let out a growl. "Get the fuck off me!" He screamed again, thrashing as best as he could, hitting his fist against the man's bulky chest. "He'll kill you. I ain't fuckin' kidding." Reno breathed. "You fucking let me go, or he'll break your fuckin' neck. Don't you fucking touch me... Don't you dare fucking touch me, you dirty fuckin' prick."

"You're lying again." Cal guessed, narrowing his eyes and gripping his hand slightly tighter around Reno's throat, squeezing enough that Reno wondered if he was about to legitimately choke him. "That man's not your partner... And even if he were, I'll be able to evade him too... If he's that jealous, he'll already be mad, so I might as well take what I want."

Reno whimpered, grabbing toward the man's hand and trying to pull it off of his neck. "Stop! We'll let you go if you just stop… We were sent here to question you, but we'll let it all go if you stop... We won't bother you again… J-just stop..." Reno begged, feeling entirely defeated, breathless, and trapped. He didn't want to beg this man. He wanted to be pissed off, to swear, hit, kick, and scream… but he was starting to feel genuinely terrified. He was in no condition to fight back. He wasn't even restrained, and yet this guy was on top of him, practically choking him, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He didn't want to die here. Certainly not like this - choked to death in some nasty fucking hotel room with some horny pervert doing who fucking knew what to his body, whether before or after his inevitable death.

"No." Calvin growled. "You had your chance to be respected before you acted like a little slut down there all night, before you tried to fucking fool me... I'm not through with you yet. I'll let you go when I'm done if you're a good boy during. You'll be okay if you just don't keep being difficult, but keep being a little prick and I might have to hurt you."

Reno gritted his teeth together, grabbing at the man's arm and trying to pull it away from his throat as Cal's grip tightened. "Get off of me!" Reno whimpered.

The guy fucking drugged him… and now had him pinned down on a hotel bed, in a room with no one else around… He had his hand around Reno's neck, squeezing with an increasingly tight grip… Reno didn't presently have the strength to get the hand off of his throat. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't save himself from any of this. Was Reno going to die here? Was this guy going to actually kill him?

He never wanted to beg, but what more could he do here? He was so tired… He could barely even move, let alone give fighting back a chance. What could he do besides beg?

"I shouldn't have lied to you... I'm sorry... I won't mess with you ever again... Just let me go… Please..." Reno whispered, feeling the start of tears stinging at his eyes as his voice shook. He didn't want to cry… He couldn't let himself cry.

"I'm through with your bullshit. I had every intention for us to have a nice time, for me to pay you for your services, to even let you call some of the shots, but not now. I'm in charge now. All the way. And in fact, I probably won't fucking pay you at all. Not after how you've behaved. Not after you tried to trick me." Cal growled. "Your only choice here is to cooperate and try to have some fun, or be a combative little prick and end up making me more fucking mad than I already am. In that case, I won't be gentle. I'll fuck you hard on purpose, hurt you on purpose... Don't fucking test me." Calvin squeezed Reno'st throat tighter for a moment, then loosened his grip again, staring down into Reno's eyes.

Reno swallowed, feeling his breaths increase in speed as anger mixed with very real worry. For the moment, he was at a loss for words. Instead, only a shaky, frightened noise made it past his lips as he tugged at his trapped arm and squirmed under the man's heavy weight. The guy was so fucking big. It hadn't mattered how huge he was when Reno would have been able to fight back… but it mattered now. Reno could barely even budge, much less push the guy off of him and run for it.

With his heart pounding wildly in his chest, Reno stared up at his attacker with wide eyes. He couldn't let his fear outweigh his anger. He couldn't let this guy know how scared he was right now. Nor could he let himself focus on his fear. Being scared wasn't working. Begging wasn't helping him. He needed to go back to being violent and pissed off.

Now was the time to be angry, to do everything he could to hurt this guy back, to throw him off, to yell, scream, bite, kick - anything to get the guy off of him, to get someone else in the building to hear him and come to his rescue.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Reno growled, balling his hand into a fist and swinging toward his attacker, hitting him across the jaw, but not nearly as hard as he could have if he weren't drugged. "Let go!"

Cal wordlessly hit him back, seemingly without a second thought, his fist landing harshly across Reno's cheek, then grabbing painfully at his wrist, pinning his arm back against the bed with a low growl in his throat.

The violent blow to the side of his face caused Reno's vision to darken at the edges for a moment as he choked out soft, pained groan. The younger man whimpered a shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to focus on breathing for the moment as he pushed his free hand weakly against the man's chest.

Was Rude going to come check on him if he wasn't back in a couple more minutes? Because Reno really fucking needed him to. Now. He couldn't push this guy off him. His limbs were too exhausted, and the man was too heavy. As far as Reno could tell, the drug was only having a stronger effect on him as time passed. He was going to get weaker, more disoriented and dizzy - before he ever started feeling more awake, more capable of defending himself.

It seemed his only chance at escaping this was for someone else to save him, because he sure as hell wasn't going to be able to save himself.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey... I'm writing a sequel to my first Reno and Rude story - "Loose Ends." The one where Reno and Rude go after Don Corneo and it doesn't go well... So, if you liked that one and want to see how the whole mess concludes, stay tuned. It'll start being published when I'm done posting this one, probably... and this one will likely go up faster if I start getting some comments on it. Feel like no one's even reading it so my motivation to update is pretty low... Did all the Reno and Rude fans die?

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Chapter 2

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"Hold still." Cal breathed, squeezing both of Reno's wrists in one hard hand and pinning them against the smaller man's chest as he leaned down closer, so close in fact that Reno could feel the man's breaths on his face. He could smell the stink of alcohol and lack of general oral hygiene.

"Don't!" Reno choked. "Get the fuck off of me!" He hissed as he turned his head slightly to the side, hearing his own voice shake slightly as genuine fear bubbled up in his chest. This man was so strong, and Reno could barely move. When he fought back, it wasn't with enough strength to make a difference. It only made the man hit him back much harder. He wasn't going to get out of this on his own. Unless someone else came into the room and stopped this man, there was nothing that would put an end to this.

But how was Reno going to call attention to himself? Rude was all the way downstairs. Was anyone else even in any of the rooms on this floor? Would they hear him if he screamed? Or would screaming just make this creep more angry? Would he end up hurt worse for screaming?

He also had his pride to worry about. Reno had a reputation to protect. He was a big deal. People were scared of him - as they should be. He'd killed people before... Everyone who'd heard of him knew he wasn't someone to fuck with - they took him seriously... Reno had to work hard to make that into the case. He wasn't a huge, intimidating person aesthetically. People who didn't know him or see him in action didn't think he could do the damage that he was capable of. It took a while before he earned the right to be feared and respected. Did he really want to just scream for help and accept help from whatever random idiot heard him? Would people hear about this? Would he become a joke? The Turk some random stranger had to save from a rapist in a shady hotel? The dumb ass who drank a drugged drink while on a job and had to be rescued afterward? No one would take him seriously then...

Reno felt tears in his eyes as he tugged at his wrists and tried to squirm under his attacker. He was so exhausted thanks to whatever the man had put into his drink. Fighting back wasn't an option. He wasn't presently coherent and strong enough for it to work. Unfortunately, he either had to swallow his pride and call for help, or suffer through this... and he didn't think he was mentally strong enough for that. He couldn't let this happen.

Not calling for help might spare him from people around the world hearing about this... but that's all it would do. He'd maybe rather be seen as weak than to have this guy go through with whatever he was planning. There was also the very real possibility that he wouldn't even live through this. His reputation wouldn't matter if he was dead.

It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Scream, and maybe get hit for it, maybe feel embarrassed if some random nobody had to save him from this nightmare… or stay silent and be hurt even worse, maybe killed after. He had to at least try.

"Help me! Rude!" Reno screamed, trying to twist his body under Cal's weight as he tugged as hard as he could with his arms and tried to kick out even with his thighs pinned rather securely down. "Help! Somebody help me! Hel-" He was cut off with another harsh slap across his face, then a hard hand slammed down over his mouth.

Reno whimpered in pain, blinking his eyes, feeling unshed tears sticking to his eyelashes as he tried to turn his face to the side to scream again. Cal's hand over his lips was clamped down so hard. Reno couldn't move. In his state of increasing panic he was starting to wonder if he was even breathing anymore.

"Shhh… I don't want to hurt you." Cal whispered, squeezing his hand harder around Reno's wrists as he pressed the other roughly over his lips. "I don't wanna hurt you, but I fucking will. Don't scream. I'll hit you again. You keep screaming, and I'll keep hitting you 'til you're knocked out..." He threatened, slowly lifting his hand off of Reno's mouth.

"Let me go…" Reno breathed, sniffing back tears as his voice shook. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt this degree of panic and helplessness before. This was more than just fear. He was completely riddled with anxiety, pure dread. On a normal day, no enemy he ever came across would make him feel so horribly outmatched and defeated. Even huge, strong, powerful foes, he could use his speed to beat anyway… but he felt entirely useless to himself this time. He could hardly move. There was nothing he could do to get this disgusting brute off of him.

What was he going to do if Rude never came up to check on him? If this man had more time to do whatever he wanted? How far would he take this? Would the guy kill him after? Was Reno going to die here?

"Shhh…" Cal cooed again. "Don't cry… Relax. It won't be so bad. I do this all the time. I know how to make it feel good for you too. I won't be too rough if you just stop being a difficult little bitch."

"I ain't fuckin' cryin'..." Reno shook his head, pulling uselessly at his arms again as Cal put his other hand lightly over Reno's neck. "Get the hell off of me, or you're gonna be fucking sorry…" Reno breathed, his words shaking slightly. He couldn't fully hide his fear right now, no matter how much he wanted to.

Cal simply laughed, leaning down and pressing his mouth against Reno's lips, kissing at the corner of the younger man's mouth, sucking and biting lightly at Reno's bottom lip.

Reno turned his head to the side and let out a small whimper. "Don't!" He choked, tugging at his arms as Cal put more of his weight on top of him. "Stop! Please!" He sobbed. "Let me go! Please let me go!" He whimpered, sucking in several sharp, panicked breaths.

"Look who's decided to be polite all of a sudden." Cal laughed, leaning back and reaching toward the button on Reno's pants, grabbing and unfastening it, then just as quickly tugging down the zipper.

"No!" Reno whimpered, shaking his head and gritting his teeth as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'll fucking kill you…" He threatened. He wasn't even going to kill the guy originally. He just wanted answers… But he had to fucking kill him now - even if the guy let him go at this point, it was too late. He'd pissed off Reno enough that he had to fucking die now.

"Oh, you will, huh?" Cal smirked, running a hand up over Reno's stomach and pulling at the buttons on his shirt one by one, effectively popping a few of them off completely as he opened Reno's shirt, exposing his chest. "You really think you're in a position to make that promise?"

Reno tugged at his arms again, feeling his efforts growing weaker and weaker. His chest felt so cold, both because his shirt was opened, and because he was terrified, and anxiety was coursing through him like ice.

"Get the fuck off of me, or you're dead, you fuckin' creep." Reno growled, gritting his teeth together in frustration as he tried and failed to thrash under the man's weight. "I'm not kidding. You won't fucking get away with this. I've killed more people than you ever fuckin' met... I've got friends in high places, and if you fucking touch me, they'll kill you. If I can't, they will. I'm not bluffing. I'm not the type of person you wanna fuck with. I've got a lot of powerful, dangerous people in my corner. It's not just me you gotta worry about."

"Stop threatening me, kid. I'll let you leave when I'm done if you behave. You keep being a defiant little prick and I'll fucking strangle you when I'm finished." Cal threatened, reaching up and grabbing at Reno's throat for a moment before sliding his hand down across his collar and starting to wrestle Reno's shirt down one of his arms.

"Don't do this… Please... Please stop!" Reno choked, feeling his frightened breaths and begging turning into actual sobs, shaky, frantic, defeated sobs. He didn't understand why his usual threats weren't working. Sure, he was drugged now, but he wouldn't always be. Even if he couldn't hurt the guy back at the moment, he'd be able to later, and he did honestly have friends in high places who would kill this guy. He wasn't even lying. If this guy hurt him, Rude would seriously kill him for it. Maybe Cal just didn't believe it

"You poor little thing… You sure weren't being this sweet before." Cal laughed, wrestling the shirt off of Reno's arms and tossing it across the room. "You were so mean when you still thought you were in charge. You can't decide if you wanna be mad or scared, huh?"

Reno felt his lower lip sticking out in a pout as he blinked past his tears. He wasn't sure what to do, if he should beg and plead, get mad again, if he should scream, try to kick or hit… None of this had worked so far.

"You really are beautiful. Now if we could just work on your personality…" Calvin laughed, leaning down and planting another unwelcome kiss on Reno's lips.

Reno cried out a muffled noise, unable to turn his face to the side this time as Cal grabbed his jaw and held him painfully in place, kissing and sucking at his lips, forcing his tongue in when Reno opened his mouth to try to scream again.

"No! Stop!" Reno choked when Cal leaned back long enough to take a small breath.

"Bite me and I'll really hurt you." The bulky man warned, leaning back down and forcing his mouth against Reno's once more, pushing his tongue past the younger man's lips and performing one of the more awkward kisses Reno had ever experienced in his life.

Reno choked out pained, heartbroken sobs as he contemplated what he should do. He wanted so badly to bite down, to rip this fucker's tongue in two… but what would happen then? Cal warned against that… What would he do in response? Was suffering through the kiss worth avoiding whatever pain would follow in the event that Reno bit the man's tongue? Stopping the kiss wouldn't stop the rest of it, and if anything, maybe allowing the kiss to last longer would give Reno more time for Rude to find him. Perhaps if he couldn't get the man to stop, he could at least try to make sure he moved slowly, so Rude could find him before the worst of it.

Perhaps he should look at this how he looked at torture - it was pretty much the same thing, unbearable, though not as physically painful as some of his trainings on the subject. He had been taught what to do if he was being tortured for information - bear it and keep quiet, stall for time... This wasn't even the first time an enemy had gotten him into a position where he couldn't fight back. He'd dealt with things like this before - just never an enemy who wanted to grope and kiss all over him. It was always less personal and more painful, but if he could survive that, he could survive this...

This wasn't the first man to overpower him, to deliberately hurt him in such a way that he couldn't fight back... They usually just punched or kicked... One guy had him tied down to a chair and hit him with a wooden pole, trying to get answers from him. Reno had survived that... He could survive this too.

So he held his breath, closed his eyes, and tried not to think about the warm, awkward tongue sliding around inside his mouth. He kept his eyes squeezed tight as small whimpering noises made their way past the forced kiss. He wanted to remain stoic, to just close his mind off entirely... but this was so much different than physical torture. He knew how to withstand pain, to keep his mouth shut even when doing so got him hurt... but this was so much different. It wasn't even painful, but it was an invasion of his personal space - in a big way.

By the time Cal finally moved his mouth off of Reno's and started kissing up and down the younger man's throat, Reno's soft whimpers were turning into shaky sobs. He found he couldn't help it. Even trying to stay calm and collected, the tears were coming on their own. This whole thing was so frustrating. This man should have been scared to even touch him, let alone pin him down and assault him. If Reno lived through this, he was definitely going to fucking kill this guy.

Cal let out a disgusting moaning sound, leaning more heavily on top of Reno, running a hand up over his chest and grinding against him as his mouth moved awkwardly over Reno's throat, probably working toward what would end up being a rather humiliating series of hickeys.

"I'll fucking kill you-" Reno hissed, his breaths caught in his throat.

The young Turk shoved against Cal's heavy body, his arms shaking as they failed to move the man even a little. In fact, Calvin was leaning in closer in response to Reno's efforts, heavily on top of him, still grinding his body against Reno's as he ran a hand through the man's hair and continued both squeezing his neck and kissing and sucking up and down its sensitive length.

Squeezing his eyes shut and whimpering a shaky breath, Reno tried again to retreat into his own head. He couldn't stop focusing on this nasty fucker's mouth sucking all over his neck. The guy was grinding up against him, still fully-clothed, fortunately, but Reno could still feel the sick fuck's erection pressing through his pants, rubbing against Reno's thigh. He couldn't stand this. Shinra had taught him how to deal with physical pain of being tortured, but they hadn't taught him how to deal with this. Why didn't they teach him what to do if this happened?

"Stop-" Reno choked, feeling a new surge of desperation and panic washing over him. This wasn't torture... Not the kind he knew what to do with. This wasn't an injury that he could just get over with and heal from later. He wouldn't be able to heal from this type of violation. If Calvin went through with this, it would be an invisible scar that would last Reno the rest of his life.

Reno's breathless begging was turning into nothing but pathetic, shaking whimpers as Calvin's unwanted advances persisted and escalated. He'd never in his life felt so trapped, so scared. He couldn't get this man off of him. He couldn't make this stop.

"Oh… Shush…" Cal cooed as he finally stopped kissing and leaned back slightly. "Don't cry, baby." He ran his fingertips over Reno's cheekbone, over what felt like a bruise. "I'm sorry I had to get so rough, but you were being entirely too defiant…" He noted with a mocking pout

"Please stop." Reno whispered, feeling himself shaking as he stared up at his attacker. He had to do something to make this stop, and if begging, apologizing, and pleading was what he had to do, then so be it. "I'm sorry I lied to you… Please don't do this…" Reno choked, squeezing his eyes shut again as tears started.

He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd never felt so weak and broken in his entire life, to have to resign himself to actually begging this sick creep not to hurt him… and knowing that it was likely all for nothing. Reno was going to beg like this and the guy still wasn't going to let him go.

"Don't be scared. This won't be bad. You'll like it." Calvin guessed, running a hand over Reno's cheek and sliding the other down between his legs, rubbing lightly over Reno's pants.

"Don't!" Reno choked, grabbing weakly toward his attacker's pawing hand and kicking out, unable to really do so with Cal presently sitting on his thighs. "Don't fucking touch me! Stop!" He whimpered. "Get off of me!"

"Shhh… I'm not hurting you. Relax." Cal frowned, rubbing his hand lightly between his captive's legs as he moved his other hand up to grip around Reno's neck again. "Hold still. Relax… Just take a little breath, sweet boy. This won't hurt."

Reno gritted his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut as he balled his hands into fists, seriously contemplating hitting the man again. There were certainly worse things Cal could be doing to him, but that didn't mean Reno wasn't devastated by this. Even though it wasn't that painful, and even though he knew it could be worse, he was still completely humiliated by this, scared of what it might be escalating toward.

"I'll call off my people…" Reno whispered.

"What's that?" Cal leaned his face down closer, perhaps so he could hear Reno's breathless words better. His hands remained awkwardly and threateningly where they had been - one between Reno's legs and the other wrapped around his throat.

"Let me go, and I'll tell my people to leave you alone - to not ask you anymore questions. We'll let you off the hook." Reno lied, doing his best to ignore the lingering threat of Cal's hands still groping all over his body. "If you hurt me, they're gonna be pissed... They'll send other people after you. It won't end until you're dead... But if you just let me go, I'll make it all go away."

"Hmmm…" Cal narrowed his eyes, rubbing his thumb lightly over Reno's throat and squeezing the other hand down below. "Hard to believe that after such a cocky little show you put on earlier… How do I know you mean it?" He wondered.

Reno swallowed, shaking his head. "I promise… Please… Otherwise you're still going to be a person of interest. This isn't just me and my partner. If we don't solve this, someone else will be sent after you… and if you hurt me, or kill me… they're just gonna be after you with more intensity… Let me go, and I'll tell them I talked to you… that I determined we had the wrong guy. I'll make sure they leave you alone…"

"I just don't believe it." Cal shrugged, finally moving his hand out from between Reno's legs, only to grope up over his stomach and toward his chest, rubbing there awkwardly. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I think I've got enough protection to get away with doing whatever I want here tonight. I'm not worried about it."

Reno shook his head, inhaling a small breath. "Calvin… Please…" He whimpered, feeling his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Was that it then? He was doomed to suffer through whatever sick, twisted shit this guy wanted to do?

Cal slid his hand down over Reno's chest, grabbing back toward the waist of his pants and smiling evilly down at him. "I wouldn't be opposed to you sucking off my cock if you'd prefer to do it that way - but you've gotta promise not to bite." He proposed.

Reno let out a low, frustrated growl, trying once more to thrash under his captor. He could still barely move, but what other choice did he have but to try? "Get off of me!" Reno winced again, choking out a shaking breath.

"No? We'll stick with the plan then." Cal chuckled. "I like it better this way anyway." He shrugged, reaching both hands down toward the waist of Reno's pants and starting to tug them down his thighs.

"No! Please…" Reno screamed, thrashing as best as possible, which wasn't far, flailing, hitting, and kicking out in every diction he could. "Get off of me! Get off!" He screamed, his words dissolving quickly into nothing but terrified noise. He was pretty sure at this point he was simply screaming - shaking, breathless screams, just trying to make any sound to draw attention to the room, for someone - anyone to come in and stop this.

Calvin let out another low growl, punching across Reno's face and then squeezing at his throat again. Reno could feel blood trickling down from at least one of his nostrils as he struggled to inhale a breath. His attacker's hand was only squeezing tighter, teaching him a lesson for making too much nose.

"Please…" Reno croaked, his voice tiny, breathless, as he reached up with shaking fingers and tried to pull the hand away from his throat.

"Stop fighting so I don't have to fucking kill you." Calvin threatened, squeezing his hand harder around Reno's throat for a long few seconds before reaching back down toward his pants. "You're only going to get yourself hurt." He noted.

Reno choked a pained groan, squeezing his eyes closed, shrinking down, and doing the only thing he could at this point: hope and pray that Rude came up to check on him soon. He could barely manage to get words out of his mouth at this point, even though he wanted to be loud, regardless of the fact he knew he'd be hit for it, his voice just wouldn't allow it. Every word he said was a breathless whisper.

Even with his hands free, his fumbling fingers couldn't stop the man from undressing him. As he grabbed toward the garment in an attempt to keep it held up, he could barely grasp the material before Cal tugged it right back away from his hands.

"Shhhh… Quiet, little kitten. It'll be over before you know it." Cal cooed, grabbing Reno's shoulder with one hand and near his waist with the other, then flipping him over onto his stomach.

Reno inhaled a shaky breath as he pushed weakly up against the mattress with his hands. "I'll fucking kill you…" He growled in a soft, barely audible voice, reaching with one hand down toward the waist of his pants as Cal grabbed at them and started sliding them further down his legs. "I'll kill you for this you fucker…" Reno threatened.

"Sure you will." Calvin laughed, sliding Reno's pants down slowly, almost as though he was enjoying making it last longer than it needed to.

Whimpering a breathless sob, Reno gritted his teeth together, trying to keep himself breathing at the very least. "If you fucking touch me, I'll kill you…" He breathed. "And if I can't, my partner will. If you kill me, if you even fucking touch me, my partner will kill you…" Reno growled, his voice breathless, exhausted and absolutely terrified.

"You think?" Cal laughed, shoving Reno's hand away easily, like it was nothing, then pulling his pants down further, practically to his knees.

"No!" Reno growled, his voice both angry and scared, shaking, breathless. "Get off of me!" He screamed, trying and failing to throw the man back. He was so weak. Even his screaming and threats were subdued. His voice was small, almost slurred. His entire being was so exhausted, so close to entirely defeated. "Don't fucking touch me!" Reno whimpered, his voice shaking so much he could barely even understand himself. He could feel tears brimming in his eyes, starting to fall as his heart pounded in his chest. He wasn't going to get out of this... There was no way out. Screaming didn't work, fighting didn't work... and he could barely do either.

"You ever done this before?" Calvin breathed, clearly starting to get himself excited. "Am I your first?" A smug smirk dripped from his voice.

Reno breathed in and out shaky, frantic breaths, squeezing his eyes closed as he fully realized that there was no way out. This man was going to rape him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Stop! Fucking stop! Please!" The young Turk sobbed, wishing he could just disappear. He couldn't endure this. He just couldn't. He'd been trained to withstand torture, but not this. "Please don't do this! Please let me go!" He choked, his breaths so short he was beginning to wonder if he might pass out.

"Shhh..." Cal whispered, petting his hand over Reno's back near his waist - almost like he was attempting to calm him. "You're okay. Don't be scared..." The man cooed, still petting Reno like it would make him feel better about this nightmare. "Just close your eyes and relax." He suggested, gripping Reno's boxer shorts and tugging them down next, then putting his hands on Reno's thighs and rubbing upward. "My goodness… I've never had anyone fight me this hard… Especially not after drugging them. Might have given you a bigger dose if I'd known…" He laughed.

The noise that tore from Reno's throat as he grabbed at the bed sheets and tried and failed to crawl away could hardly be described as anything more than unintelligible screaming mixed with shaking, breathless sobs. He was so scared, and for once in his life had no fucking idea what to do. He couldn't save himself. No one heard him screaming and he couldn't fight back. Fighting off any enemy with his speed and quick thinking was the one thing he could always count on to defend himself, and he couldn't do it.

The other thing he always counted on was Rude, and he was all the way downstairs. He had no idea how badly his partner needed him right now. There was nothing and no one available to get him out of this. Reno was entirely defenseless.

Reno choked out a small sob as he squeezed his eyes shut and his hands into loose, weak fists. He could hear the sound of Cal unfastening his own pants and felt the man's body weight shift on the mattress, then felt a hand on the back of his neck, further pinning him down. The man's second hand grabbed toward the inside of his thigh, roughly squeezing, forcibly spreading his legs before the man brought his knee down on Reno's thigh to effectively and painfully pin it down.

"Please!" Reno sobbed, pushing up with one fist against the mattress and reaching back behind himself with his other hand, weakly, blindly swatting at the hand down on his thigh. "Don't do this! Please!" He whimpered.

There was nothing he could do here. He was too exhausted to fight, to even scream. He was entirely trapped... Entirely defeated.

Next he heard the sound of a plastic cap being popped open as the man no-doubt was lubing himself up, getting ready to hurt Reno in the worst way imaginable. Reno sobbed breathlessly as he squeezed his eyes closed as tight as he could and shrunk down. He wished he could just vanish. This was literally the last thing imaginable he'd ever want to have happen to him. He didn't know how to deal with it. He couldn't even dissociate like he would if he were being tortured. He couldn't get his mind off of the fact that his pants were down, that this man could see every inch of his body - every inch of him he had no fucking right to see, let alone touch.

"Stop..." Reno choked, his voice small, breathless, shaking. "...Please!" He begged, feeling like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't get the man off of him, couldn't convince him not to do this. No one had heard his screams for help. He didn't know what to do...

He shuddered a weak, heartbroken sob as he felt a drop of the lube the man was slathering all over himself drip down onto his lower back. It was cold. He knew it had probably touched the man's penis. He wanted to get it the fuck off of him, but he couldn't move enough to even do that. He felt like he wasn't breathing anymore. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he'd have the luxury of unconsciousness soon if he managed to faint before the guy actually did it.

Squeezing his eyes closed and swallowing back bile, Reno tried to take his mind away. He felt like he was going to throw up. Or pass out. Maybe both - one after the other. He'd never been so disgusted and terrified ever in his life. This was an actual nightmare. There was no other way to describe it. He just wished he could wake himself up from it.

But just as soon as he was accepting that all hope was lost, that this was going to happen and that there was nothing he could do about it, he felt the weight suddenly lifted off him, heard a pained noise coming from his attacker's lips, followed by a heavy thud of a body hitting the floor behind the bed.

Reno shrunk down, squeezing his eyes shut as he moved his fingers toward his mouth, trying to hold his remaining sobs in. He hoped it was Rude in the room with him. He couldn't imagine who else it would be… but he couldn't bring himself to ask, or to even look. He was so embarrassed by what had happened, so relieved that it had stopped. Everything he was feeling now was so entirely powerful, and yet he couldn't even move, could barely get himself to breathe.

Instead, he choked out a relieved, yet still frightened and defeated sob. None of this horrible mess was supposed to happen. Reno was supposed to have come up here, gotten his answers, humiliated this guy, and went on his way. He was supposed to take all of five minutes to get this done, go collect Rude, and arrogantly march out of the hotel like they were on top of the world.

None of that had happened. Reno didn't get answers, he wasn't leaving feeling smug and successful... He was instead lying half-undressed, face-down on a bed, sobbing like a hurt child. He was embarrassed, heartbroken, scared... None of this had gone right. Not even close.

"Reno…" Rude's voice breathed, sounding more worried than Reno had ever heard his partner before. "I got you… Are your hurt?" He sounded so painfully serious, with even a strange edge of panic in his voice. The ordinarily calm and collected man actually sounded scared for once.

Reno shook his head, whimpering another shaky sob as he felt his partner's hands quickly but carefully tugging his underwear and pants back up, then turning him over and pulling him up into a hug.

"Rude…" Reno sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to hug Rude back with weak, exhausted arms. He wasn't used to having to be saved by someone else. Not like this. This was so embarrassing.

Sure, Rude always had his back, would grab his hand in battle, pull him out of harm's way, dodge in front of him to take a hit meant for Reno… but he hadn't ever had to save him like this - where Reno was unable to even put his own clothes on, where he couldn't move, was lying face-down, sobbing and completely defeated by the time Rude pulled his attacker off of him.

Reno couldn't get himself to stop shaking and crying as Rude hugged him closer. He felt the warm, reassuring touch of his partner's arms and hands on his cold skin - skin exposed thanks to Cal tearing his shirt off of him a few minutes earlier. Maybe that was why he was shivering too - not just because he was scared, but because he was cold.

"I got you, Partner…" Rude assured him, hugging him close, and saying nothing more for the moment as he rubbed a hand reassuringly across Reno's back.

Reno kept his eyes closed, resting his head against Rude's shoulder, and enjoying the fact that Rude didn't know what to say, that everything was silent, that no questions were being asked. Reno wasn't ready yet to try to explain all of this, to talk about how fucking scared he just was.

For now, he just wanted to stay like this, safely in Rude's arms, not talking, not explaining shit.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really digging writing some Reno and Rude close-friendship scenes, so I made another one-chapter story I'll be posting soon too (once it's properly edited.) That and my "Loose Ends" sequel are on the way! Stay tuned. :D (And enjoy chapter 3 of this one.)

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Chapter 3

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Rude held Reno close as his partner sobbed and physically trembled in his arms. The younger man had drawn his knees up toward his chest and had one hand up over his eyes - like he was hiding - like he didn't want to be seen. The other hand gripped desperately, yet weakly at the back of Rude's shirt, clinging to him like he was scared letting go would mean he'd be all alone again.

Rude was pretty sure he'd never seen Reno even half this upset before. Reno didn't cry. He didn't hide his eyes in shame, cling to people like a terrified child seeking protection and reassurance. He got mad, violent, pissed off. He yelled, he hit and kicked things in frustration, but he didn't cry.

He was certainly crying now. It was painfully clear this was more than the usual frustration of defeat. Reno wasn't upset because he'd lost the upper hand, because this man had somehow managed to turn things around on him. The young Turk wasn't just frustrated with what he perceived to be a loss here. This was more than that. Much more.

Reno's heartbroken sobbing now wasn't a response to mere physical pain. Rude didn't think he was significantly hurt, and if he were, his reaction wouldn't have been this. Reno was usually more pissed off than sad when he got hurt. He didn't cry about it. He grimaced, tensed, swore, but he didn't break down sobbing. He was terrified right now, emotionally devastated. This wasn't a reaction Rude had ever seen from his partner, so he honestly didn't know what to do with it.

"You're alright…" Rude whispered, rubbing his hand lightly against Reno's upper arm as he put his other hand on the back of the younger man's head, running his fingers lightly through Reno's soft, red hair. Rude practically held his breath as he felt the smooth strands in his hand. He rarely actually felt Reno's hair. There wasn't often a reason to hold him so close. He didn't often hug the younger man either, for that matter.

Even so, if felt more heartbreaking than awkward. Reno didn't feel weird about hugging Rude, and Rude didn't feel weird about it either. He just felt sad... Sad that his partner was sobbing, so obviously emotionally hurt right now. Rude and Reno had been partners for so long. They were so close by now, each having seen the other at his perceived worst. Rude had taken care of this man when he was so drunk he couldn't stand, when he was sick with a fever so high Rude was seriously contemplating taking him to the ER.

He hadn't dealt with something like this. He could guess how to deal with it... He hoped he was guessing right... but for now Rude was settling on simply holding his partner, telling him he was okay, making sure he knew Rude was going to keep him safe...

Rude closed his eyes and pulled Reno closer as the younger man continued crying into Rude's jacket. His crying was calming down at least, but the real difficult part of this might come after - when he'd have to fully process everything that just went down, when Rude would ask him what happened, when they'd both have to discuss it and deal with it in one way or another.

Reno sniffed and breathed in and out another serious of shaking breaths. "Rude..." he whimpered, choking out another sob.

"I'm here. I've got you." Rude spoke, trying to keep his voice as calm and even as possible as he held his partner close. Reno felt surprisingly small and delicate under Rude's hands, his shoulders shaking with soft sobs. Seeing his friend in such a vulnerable state made Rude just want to hold him tighter, forever... to keep him safe from anything and everything for the rest of their lives. Rude never wanted to hear these sobs again.

It didn't seem the younger man needed medical attention. He wasn't obviously injured. That was something Rude would have known how to deal with. He didn't know how to deal with Reno's emotional hurt beyond what he was already doing, because Reno didn't ever share this type of thing with him. He wasn't sure what Reno wanted from him. A hug? Reassurance? A listening ear? Maybe he just wanted to be left alone...

Swallowing a tight gulp, Rude closed his eyes, resting his cheek lightly against his partner's hair as he held the younger man against his chest. So far Reno hadn't tried to pull away from his grip. Reno didn't seem uncomfortable with Rude holding him, speaking soft words of comfort. What Rude was guessing to do seemed to perhaps be the right thing to do. He wanted to be reassuring, to keep repeating to Reno that he was alright, that he was safe… but was his partner alright? Had Calvin hurt him? Rude didn't yet know the extent of the damage - physically, emotionally… What all did Cal do before Rude was able to stop him? How far had he taken this sick game?

Rude swallowed again, blinking slowly and inhaling a calming breath as he held onto his partner, pulling him close, wanting to do whatever he could to make sure Reno felt protected. He had been so terrified for Reno's sake as he made his way up here, and now the relief washing over him from knowing his partner was safe was being clouded with anger at the parts of this he hadn't been able to stop. Reno was okay now. He didn't seem significantly hurt. It did look like Rude got here before the worst of it… but that didn't change what had happened - what Rude had failed to keep his partner safe from.

"I've got you, Reno. You're okay. Nothing else bad's gonna happen to you." Rude promised, trying to keep his voice calm as he rubbed a hand gently over Reno's back and held the other against the back of his friend's head, holding him securely against his chest as Reno continued to cry.

He really didn't know what else to do. He couldn't fix this. He couldn't undo whatever had happened before he got here. He could only offer comforting words, and hopefully comforting gestures. Hopefully Reno would tell him to back off if the embrace was too much… Surely he would...

"I'm sorry, Rude…" Reno whimpered as he buried his face in Rude's jacket and choked out soft, breathless sobs. "I fucked up… This should'a been easy, and I fucked up everything… That fucking prick... I j- I just... Rude, I'm sorry…" He choked, his words spaced between shaking breaths and half-sobs.

"It's okay." Rude's voice was low, breathless as he held Reno securely in his arms. He'd never seen the younger man so upset before - not like this. He'd seen Reno annoyed, angry, overly violent, dangerously reckless… but never this degree of panicked, devastated, hurt… Reno could barely even get out a coherent sentence right now.

And Reno sure as hell never apologized - for anything, even things that were definitely one hundred percent his fault. The guy's ego was too big to ever admit defeat or fault… so what the hell was this?

These emotions were practically the opposite of what Rude was used to seeing in his usually upbeat, confident, cocky partner. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to help, to tell Reno he didn't have to be so sad, that it was all over and done and that he was safe now, to quickly fix this… But he couldn't. There wasn't a quick fix this time.

"I didn't get the job done." Reno choked, his voice shaky, breathless. "I didn't get any answers. I could have, but I'm so fucking dumb. I had him right where I wanted him. I could'a demanded answers and beat the shit outta him if he refused... It was supposed to be such a simple fuckin' job... I completely failed. I fucked up everything…"

Rude shook his head. "I don't care about that. The job's the last thing I care about right now, Partner. We'll get the answers somewhere else. I just need to know you're okay. That's my priority. Did he hurt you?"

Reno whimpered softly, shaking his head and ignoring Rude's question. "It was supposed to be easy. This wasn't a difficult job… All I had to do was demand answers and kick the shit outta this damn fucker if he refused... How'd I fuck this up so bad? I'm so stupid. I really messed up this time, Rude. I got so fucking cocky and did something so stupid. Now the job's not done-"

"Reno, fuck the job, okay? Don't worry about the damn job." Rude stared, starting to feel genuinely angry that Reno was still prioritizing the job over his own well being. Rude realized he did the same thing with himself - he put the job before his own safety and mental health all the time, but what Reno had just gone through was huge, and they needed to focus on him first, not the job.

Reno shook his head and choked out a shaky noise. "We don't have any of the answers we came for... We did all this stupid shit for nothing... I let that fucker grab all over me down at the bar. Just let 'im... It was for the job. It was uncomfortable, but I let him, then came up here and..." He trailed off, whimpering another trembling sob. "Didn't even get the fuckin' job done..." He sniffed.

"Reno..." Rude put his hand on the side of his partner's face, resisting the urge to force the younger man to look at him and settling for offering the comfort of his touch instead. "Partner... I don't care about the job. I care about you." He spoke with a soft tone.

Reno sniffed back tears, hugging Rude tighter, but the older man noticed his partner's grip was fairly weak. He was clearly hurt, drugged, or some combination of the two. He wasn't his usual self. His movements were uncoordinated and his grip was loose, even though it was clear he wanted to be clingy, to hold on tight. He couldn't at the moment. Every movement was a chore for the smaller man.

"I tried to call out to you…" Reno whispered, his voice painfully tiny, his words heartbreakingly vulnerable. "You were too far away so I started screamin' like a fuckin' trapped animal... Screamin' for whoever might be near enough to hear it. I don't think anyone could hear me. I was so scared…" The smaller man choked, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes closed. "Normally I just beat the shit outta anyone who fucks with me, but I couldn't. I couldn't do shit… I couldn't fight him off… He was really strong, and I couldn't do anything. I could hardly move… Rude, I was so fuckin' scared…"

"I know… You had every right to be. You're alright, Reno. I know you were scared. You had every right to be terrified by this creep, but you're alright now. He's gone. I've got you. You're safe." Rude breathed, hugging his partner close against his chest as he glanced down next to the bed, at the body of the man they'd been sent here to question. They sure as hell weren't going to be getting any more information from him now.

Reno sniffed again, closing his eyes and laying his forehead against Rude's chest, perhaps for the moment just needing to sit here in silence, to feel what Rude was saying - that his partner had him now, that nothing else was going to happen to him.

As he exhaled a small breath and closed his eyes, Rude held onto his partner, resting his cheek on top of Reno's soft hair and focusing on the feeling of his friend's slowly evening breaths rising and falling against his own body.

Reno may have felt like he screwed up here tonight, but it was nothing close to how bad Rude had handled it. He left his partner by himself with this man. Rude was too busy distracting the guards and just let Reno go off on his own with a man they both knew was interested in Reno sexually. Rude should have seen this coming - if not something he knew would happen, something he should have at least expected as a likely possibility. He should have protected Reno from it.

Rude had stayed downstairs keeping the guy's bodyguards busy while Reno went upstairs with him, but the more he eavesdropped on their casual conversations, the more Rude realized he needed to back his partner up more efficiently.

On the surface, Calvin Viernes seemed like a harmless rich guy - someone who was kind of a pervert, but who at least wasn't predatory about it. It had seemed the man liked to pay young men for sex - not something Rude would partake in - on either side of the equation, but not something that would make him worried for Reno's safety either. He had no reason to believe the man would get violent if his sexual advances were rejected, and Rude was pretty sure Reno would just kick him in the chest if that happened anyway…

Until one of the guards mentioned to the other that he guessed Reno was up to something - that he was going to try to cheat Cal out of money somehow, and the other guard guessed that his boss would just drug Reno like he drugged other young men whose services he desired.

At that point, Rude knew he needed to check on Reno - and quickly. What was already in the very back of his mind, a small worry he assumed he didn't really need to be concerned with had flared up so strongly, so suddenly. That tiny hint of a fear Rude was sure he was being paranoid about was suddenly entirely real, and Rude felt horrible for not considering it a real threat before, for giving the man a window of time to do the very thing Rude most hoped he wouldn't.

The younger man had been alone with Cal for no more than fifteen or twenty minutes by the time Rude decided to rush up here - but it seemed that was more than enough time for Cal to turn the tables on the young Turk.

When Rude made it up here, Reno had been pinned down on the bed with his pants and boxer shorts pulled down his thighs. The younger man was crying softly, whimpering, begging with tiny, broken sobs as he weakly and uselessly moved his arms, trying to push himself up, to shove Calvin away from him. The young man was entirely useless to himself, simply sobbing as he tried and failed to free himself from this predator's grasp.

Reno wasn't the type of person to beg, to cry, to give up. Rude was pretty sure he'd never heard such a thing from his partner until just now. Reno just wouldn't ever let himself admit to being vulnerable enough to need to beg. No matter how dire the situation, Rude simply hadn't ever heard his partner do it… But he couldn't say that now, and hearing Reno's desperate cries and trembling pleas in that moment made Rude's heart break.

Cal had been hovering over the smaller man, pulling his own pants down in the front, rubbing himself, preparing to hurt the smaller man in the most dreadful way he could when Rude ran over and pulled the guy off of his partner, snapping his neck without a second thought. Poor Reno had looked so small and vulnerable under his attacker's bulky, imposing presence. The guy looked so much bigger when he wasn't sitting, and the fact that Reno was practically completely still, completely defenseless, sobbing, gasping for breaths, lying half-undressed on the bed below him made the man look even more threatening. Reno must have been positively terrified.

Now that everything was calming down though, Rude wasn't sure he should have acted so quickly. He could have subdued the man without killing him. He could have protected Reno and also gotten their answers at least. He could have even killed the man after if he still felt as angry as he had in that initial moment.

But the most important thing here was Reno. For the moment, it didn't matter that the subject of their investigation was dead now, that they hadn't gotten the answers they came for. Rude couldn't bring himself to focus on that for the time being. Reno needed him - not as a colleague, but as a friend.

Rude needed to make sure his friend wasn't hurt. He needed to get them both out of here before the bodyguards got suspicious and checked in on their employer. Rude was sure he could just take them out too, but he'd rather just get Reno out of here safely for now. Just making sure his friend was alright was his priority rather than focusing on unnecessary fighting and likely harmless loose ends.

"Reno, are you alright?" Rude finally spoke after a long few moments of silence, asking once more the question he never got a clear answer to the first time he asked it. "Did he hurt you?"

Reno shook his head, grasping weakly at the front of Rude's shirt. Rude noticed Reno wasn't wearing a shirt anymore himself. The younger man shivered as he let out a small whimper.

"No, he didn't hurt you?" Rude frowned.

Reno shook his head again, but didn't look up and make eye contact with Rude. Perhaps he was embarrassed, too ashamed to feel seen for the moment.

"Reno… You okay?" Rude asked again, needing a more clear answer. The last thing they needed now was for Reno to be too proud to admit he was hurt. "Do you need medical attention? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? You've gotta answer me, Partner. I just wanna know that you're okay… or that you're not if you aren't… So we can fix this. I won't judge you, man. We're partners... We take care of each other, right? So if you're hurt, you gotta tell me."

"He didn't. I'm okay." Reno finally whispered. "He didn't really hurt me. Not much…"

"Did he drug you?" Rude asked. The answer was pretty obvious. There was no way Reno was just lying face-down on the bed crying while Cal was preparing to rape him if he wasn't somehow incapacitated… The smaller man would have fought back as hard as possible before resigning himself to such a thing. Somehow it took all of five or ten minutes for Cal to subdue the younger man. What else could it have been if not some type of drug?

He wasn't tied down. It didn't seem like he'd been seriously beaten. He had some blood trickling down from his nose and a bruise on his cheek, maybe a few bruises darkening on his arms, but it didn't seem he'd been hurt enough to just be lying still, no longer fighting. He'd have fought back if he was able, but Reno was just lying there, quite limp, seemingly half-passed out without any obvious injuries to explain it. He had to have been drugged.

"Yeah…" Reno whimpered, his lower lip in a slight pout. "He did… He drugged me with somethin', Rude. I don't know what it was, but it was strong… Something in a drink… It worked so fast. I'm so tired… Rude… I'm so dumb." He choked, immediately breaking down into soft sobs again, grabbing desperately, yet still weakly at Rude's shirt once more.

Rude exhaled, pulling his partner close with one arm around his shoulders and starting to shrug out of his own jacket. Reno was shivering and his skin felt cold.

"He gave me a drink… and I drank it… It was so stupid." Reno whispered, shaking his head and looking down as Rude draped his jacket over the smaller man's shoulders and wrapped it around his trembling body.

"It's alright. You're okay now." Rude promised, hoping that was in fact true. How could they know what the man had drugged Reno with? And was Rude getting the whole story here? Did Cal truly not hurt him at all? The bruises slowly darkening on Reno's cheek and jaw indicated he'd been hit at the very least. Had he done more than Reno wanted him to know about? Was the younger man simply ashamed and embarrassed to admit it? Rude hoped not.

"Rude, I was so scared…" Reno choked, pulling himself closer against his partner's chest. "I couldn't move - not really… not enough…" He whimpered.

"Reno, what did he do?" Rude frowned, leaning back a bit, far enough to see his partner's face as Reno blinked and shook his head. The younger man had mostly dried blood dribbled down from his nose, over pouting lips and onto his chest and tear streaks down his cheeks. He looked so broken. It made Rude's heart hurt to see him like this.

The smaller man sniffed softly, but didn't answer, choosing to look away instead.

"Reno…" Rude asked again, his tone more serious. He respected that his partner might not want to talk about it, but he needed to know if medical attention was necessary here. He needed to know how gentle he should be in helping his friend back out to the car. Did he have potentially broken bones? Did he have internal injuries? Should Rude get him to a hospital? To a therapist? What exactly had he just been through?

"He just…" Reno started, looking down again.

"Reno, did he hurt you? Tell me the truth. This is nothing to feel ashamed about. It's not your fault, but if you're hurt, we need to address it. I just want to help." Rude frowned. "You don't have to give me all the details if you don't want to - but anything that may have left injuries, we need to address."

Reno shook his head again. "He didn't hurt me. Not much. Nothing important… It's just… He was about to…" He whispered, tears starting to steam down his cheeks again as he whimpered and squeezed his eyes closed, shrinking down closer against Rude's chest. "I didn't think I was gonna be able to get away. I wouldn't have if you didn't come in when you did. He was gonna do it." Reno whispered.

Rude closed his eyes and exhaled, then blinked them back open and focused on his partner again, putting his hand under Reno's chin and tilting the younger man's face up so he could see him better. "Do you need a doctor?" Rude asked more bluntly. "Is there any chance you've got broken bones? Internal injuries?"

Reno quickly shook his head no.

"I'll go with you. If you need to go-" Rude started, reaching down and pulling his jacket more securely around Reno's shoulders.

"No." Reno declined. "He hit me, and grabbed me, pinned me down… but he didn't really hurt me too bad. I just couldn't move because he drugged me. I tried to fight back and he hit me and grabbed me kinda hard, but nothing extreme… he didn't even have to hit that hard. I couldn't do anything anyway… I was more scared than hurt... I'm okay, Rude. I promise."

"Okay…" Rude reluctantly agreed. It wasn't like he could force his partner to go to the doctor anyway if the man insisted he didn't want to. "Do you think you can walk? We should probably get out of here sooner rather than later." Rude suggested.

"Yeah…" Reno breathed, dragging himself up with some difficulty and immediately stumbling slightly, catching himself on the mattress. "Hold on-" He exhaled, closing his eyes and swallowing.

Reno stood himself back up swaying slightly and looking like he felt kind of sick, taking a step away from the bed and then pausing again. "I got it, Rude…" He spoke without Rude even saying anything. It was like the smaller man could read his partner's thoughts without Rude even speaking them aloud.

Rude grimaced, reaching toward Reno's shoulder to help steady him, wondering at what point he should just grab Reno up in his arms and carry him back to the car. It would be faster, and Reno wasn't that heavy. It wouldn't be difficult for Rude to just take care of this problem all on his own. There wasn't much point in Reno struggling the whole way to walk by himself when Rude could just as quickly and easily carry him.

The only issue with that was Reno's likely already bruised ego. The younger man wanted to do this himself. He didn't want to feel useless and weak. He already felt that way. He obviously wanted to help himself now.

Reno took a step, then whimpered softly and reached toward Rude's sleeve, grabbing with a somewhat weak grip and breathing in and out slow, shaky breaths. "I'm so fucking tired." He whispered.

"That's okay. Reno, he drugged you. I can help." Rude frowned. "Let me help you."

Reno reluctantly nodded, letting Rude wrap his arm around Reno's back so that his hand was resting on the younger man's waist. Maybe he could help him walk without actually carrying him, to give Reno the illusion that he was doing this more on his own, that Rude was supporting him a bit rather than fully carrying him like a weak damsel in distress.

"I didn't even get any answers from 'im, Rude." Reno whined as he dragged his feet, stumbling along after his partner as Rude led the way down the hallway and toward a set of fire escape stairs.

"That's alright. We'll figure it out." Rude promised. "Don't worry about that. Let's just make sure you're alright first. Do you know what drug he gave you?"

Reno shook his head. "Somethin' that tasted like shit, but it was mixed in with some kinda alcohol… Rude, I'm a fucking idiot. I can't even believe how fucking stupid I was tonight. Like, I've been reckless in the past, but fuck, man… That was just… I don't know… Completely fucking inexcusably stupid. I just drank it without even asking what it was. I didn't watch him pour it or anything. I didn't give a shit."

Rude nodded. He didn't think Calvin was in the habit of actually killing the men he assaulted. The drug was probably something that would be harmless in the end. Frustrating now, but ultimately not lethal.

"He gave it to me and I was giving my spiel, being all cocky and condescending…" The younger Turk went on. "Thought drinking the fucking stuff would be funny, like an added bonus. You know, like I'm fuckin' you over, but still drinking the free shit you gave me before you knew I was fuckin' you over." Reno exhaled and frowned. "I was being arrogant…"

"Oh…" Rude felt his eyebrows rise. "So you do recognize that in yourself." He noted.

Reno let out a soft laugh. "Fuck off, Rude." He smiled slightly, tripping over his feet as Rude practically dragged him toward the stairs.

Rude smiled as well, and without asking, lifted Reno fully up into his arms. He wasn't about to try to drag the man down the stairs with Reno so uncoordinated. He knew Reno wanted to feel like he could take care of himself, but right now he simply couldn't and they didn't need to waste time humoring him at the moment. He needed help, and Rude wasn't interested in making this process more difficult and dangerous, and for it to take longer just to keep Reno from feeling needy.

Reno didn't seem to mind though. As soon as Rude had lifted the smaller man up into his arms, Reno laid his cheek down against Rude's collar, closing his eyes as though he was utterly exhausted and more than happy to accept the gesture Rude was offering. Maybe Reno would have welcomed Rude to carry him the whole time. It kind of made Rude feel bad that he didn't offer his partner every bit of possible help right from the start.

"Where are we going?" Reno whispered, his voice exhausted.

"Probably my apartment." Rude suggested. "I wanna keep an eye on you. If you won't go to the hospital, you've got to stay with me."

"Alright." Reno agreed with a slight nod, pausing for a moment, then looking up at Rude with a frown. "Hey, Partner?" He asked, his voice small.

"Hm?" Rude glanced down at him.

"Sorry I fucked everything up." Reno whispered. "Thanks for saving me…"

Rude swallowed, hugging Reno tighter against his chest as they reached the car. Reno didn't realize how fucking terrifying the past twenty minutes had been for Rude. He was certain Reno was more frightened of course, as he was the one drugged, being threatened and hurt… But the second Rude suspected that Reno was in real trouble, his heart had sunk, he had the worst feeling in his chest - a feeling of failure. He and Reno were partners. His job was to keep Reno safe - they were supposed to work together… But Rude had allowed Reno to be on his own long enough for this creep to drug him to try to hurt him in the worst way… What if the guards hadn't been talking about previous instances of the man being a creep? What if they just didn't bring it up and Rude hadn't thought to check on his partner when he did?

When Rude got there, Cal was pulling his own pants further down in the front. Reno's were already down. It looked from Rude's view of the scene that Cal was busy rubbing himself, perhaps applying lubrication. His hand was definitely down there, preparing his own body so he could assault Reno with it. Just a mere twenty seconds later would have been too late…

"Sorry you had to see my ass." Reno added with a small, breathless laugh, blinking as he frowned up at his partner. "Rude? Are you pissed at me?"

"What?" Rude frowned as he put Reno carefully down, holding him up with a supportive arm across his shoulders as he reached for the handle on the passenger side of his car. "Why would I be?"

Reno exhaled, climbing in the car with a shrug and then closing his eyes. "Just that I got cocky again… Fucked up our whole plan… It should have been easy. The job was so simple, but I got too confident… You would'a never done something so dumb, so I'm sorry I took charge like I always do just to fuck everything up… I didn't do my own part worth a shit, and you had to come up and save me because I couldn't get myself out of the situation… I was just a chaotic mess and the whole thing went down because of it."

Rude shook his head. "That's what I'm here for Reno. You're always a chaotic mess. Just usually doesn't get you into this much trouble. I'm not mad. We're partners. It's my job to watch your back."

"Yeah." Reno agreed with a small nod. "I'll try to be less difficult from here on out. I shouldn't be needing you to swoop in and save me from stupid shit like this."

"We'll learn from this and adjust." Rude suggested, walking around to the driver's seat and climbing in. As he turned the key in the ignition, he glanced toward Reno, who had wrapped his arms around himself and was shivering slightly.

Rude reached over and turned up the heat, even though he himself wasn't cold at all. There was a good chance Reno was just in shock, and wasn't really even physically cold, but Rude wanted to offer his partner whatever comfort he could in this moment.

"Let's get you home, Reno." Rude spoke, frowning at his partner one more time before looking back out the windshield and starting toward his apartment.

xxxxxx


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

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Reno's eyelids felt so heavy as he leaned tiredly against the back of the passenger seat of Rude's car. He finally wasn't trembling anymore, thanks to Rude cranking up the heat just about as high as it would possibly go. Reno felt guilty for it since he knew Rude didn't feel as cold as he did. In fact, Reno wasn't sure why he felt how he did. He just knew he was shivering so much his teeth were chattering until Rude turned the heat up.

The younger man stuck his lower lip out in a pout as he listened to one side of Rude's telephone conversation. The man was no doubt explaining how their mission went wrong, trying to ensure that they'd still have jobs after this mess.

"We're gonna have to get our answers from somewhere else…" Rude spoke, his voice low, perhaps in an effort to ensure Reno wouldn't hear what he was saying. The whole conversation so far had been hushed, and Rude wasn't looking Reno's way, wasn't asking for any more of his side of the story. In fact, the older man may have even thought Reno was asleep right now. He wasn't even making a bit of an attempt to include Reno in the conversation.

"Because I killed him…" Rude paused again as the person on the other end of the line said something back. "Yes, before we got the proper answers…" He paused once more. "It's complicated, Sir. I realize it wasn't our original plan, but it had to be done…" Rude went on.

Reno blinked and exhaled a soft, tired breath as he continued staring across at his partner. Whatever Cal had put in the drink was really weighing him down. He was still able to move, to speak... as he had been the whole time, but every bit of him felt heavy. He was completely exhausted, like he was seconds from falling asleep, but his mind wouldn't let him pass out just yet.

He was still anxious, upset by what had happened - by what had almost happened. Reno felt like an idiot, like a failure. What he allowed to happen back there was such an unnecessary, easily avoidable mess. He was embarrassed to have screwed up in such a dumb, dangerous way. This job was supposed to be easy...

Rude still was keeping his eyes firmly planted ahead as he drove and continued his conversation. His voice was calm, almost monotone, and for a moment Reno was almost lulled to sleep by it and the low hum of the car's engine, the only sounds filling the space of the car for the time being.

Even with everything that had happened, after experiencing what was one of the more terrifying moments of his entire life, he felt safe now. Still embarrassed, disappointed in himself, a little anxious, but he did find comfort in knowing his partner was here now, that Rude wouldn't let anything further go wrong. Rude's voice and presence alone were enough to make Reno feel content, secure…

"Things took an unexpected turn. Dispatching the subject became necessary before we procured the information we came for…" Rude went on, being almost painfully clinical and vague in his explanation. "There are other people who know where the leak is coming from. We just need to investigate further. The job isn't a total loss."

He glanced toward Reno then, for just a half second, lowering his voice even more than it already was once he realized Reno was in fact awake, listening to everything he was saying. "He's alright, a little shaken up at the moment, but he'll be okay. We're fine…" Rude paused again. "I'll explain later…" He finally offered with a bit of an edge to his voice.

Rude shook his head and hung up his phone, exhaling and glancing toward Reno, forcing a very insincere smile. "You okay?" He asked.

Reno swallowed. Was he okay? He felt like a huge failure right now. A complete fucking idiot. He'd gotten himself into a room alone with this guy and immediately drank a drink offered to him without even so much as asking what the hell it was… They didn't get the answers they'd gone for… They didn't accomplish shit tonight besides Reno feeling completely embarrassed and violated.

Reno stuck his lower lip out in a pout, sniffing and blinking back tears. "I feel like a complete fuck up…" He whimpered in a tiny voice, dragging his feet up into the seat and curling himself into a defensive little ball. "I don't think I've ever fucked up something so much in my life, Rude. I'm so fuckin' stupid." He whispered.

"No… Reno, you're not stupid…" Rude spoke, his voice calm as usual. "Well, sometimes you are, but this isn't your fault."

Reno shook his head. This was his fault. He screwed up. They had a foolproof plan. Reno was capable enough to fight this guy off if he had to, but he did something stupid and put himself in a position where he no longer had the upperhand.

"Reno… This isn't your fault." Rude said again.

"Yes it is…" Reno whispered. "That fuckin' creep gave me a drink and I didn't even know what it was… Just pounded it down like a shot of whiskey while gloating and being arrogant… I was bragging like an evil villain in a movie, spilling my master plan… Then my actual damn enemy gave me a mysterious drink and I drank it. Why did I do that? It was stupid."

Rude paused, glancing toward Reno for a moment before looking back out the car's windshield. "Okay… Yeah. That was stupid." Rude agreed.

Reno hugged his arms around himself and sunk down in the seat while Rude paused for a moment.

"But it's still not your fault." Rude frowned. "What you did was reckless, but not deserving of what he did. You could have been more careful, but ultimately what that man did was a cheap shot. Drugging people to get what you want from 'em is never necessary… And obviously sexual assault is off-limits for everyone. Or rather, it should be."

Reno pouted, sticking his lip out and crossing his arms across his chest. "We didn't even get answers from him… We failed, man. We didn't accomplish shit tonight."

"We got rid of a nasty predator." Rude disagreed with a hard stare. "He's dead, and the world should thank us for it. I don't think you're the only person he's done this to. If nothing else, we can look at this failure as necessary to save countless other young men and boys from being hurt by this creep. It wasn't the job we went in to do, but I think it's more important in the end than getting answers for Shinra."

"You shouldn't have killed him until we got our answers." Reno noted, shaking his head and looking down, still not seeing this the way Rude was.

Rude shook his head. "I had to. In that moment, when I walked in and he was on top of you… Reno… I didn't even stop to think it through… I didn't weigh my options or think about the job. I was just so angry… Logically, yeah. I should have asked questions first, killed later… But I didn't think about that. I couldn't stand seeing him there, looming over you like that… with you so clearly in pain, scared, hurt… I couldn't let that go. And if my anger cost Shinra a couple answers..." He shrugged. "Fuck Shinra. As far as I'm concerned, we did a good deed tonight - you included. I didn't want this to go down how it did, but in the end, a dangerous predator is off the streets. He won't be hurting anyone else."

"Well… Thanks for getting him off of me…" Reno looked down again, hugging his arms tighter around himself. "I guess there were a lot of things we screwed up on… Drinking a fucking drugged drink like a damn idiot, killing the guy we were sent to interrogate before we got a single fucking answer from him… Fuck, man… We hardly could'a done worse with this one."

"Yeah." Rude laughed softly, then shook his head and exhaled. "In Shinra's eyes, I suppose. But I have no real regrets, Reno..."

"I do... But… Thanks again for coming up to check on me… Holy shit, Rude… I thought he was really gonna fuckin' do it." Reno forced a breathless laugh, blinking back the start of more tears. He was pretty sure he'd never been more scared in his whole life.

He'd never come that close to being hurt in that way. Reno got hurt all the time in his line of work, but not like that. Never like that.

"You're welcome." Rude spoke after a moment, his voice low as he kept his eyes on the road.

Reno stuck his lower lip in a pout as he stared across the car at his partner. It was pretty dark, but he could see Rude's face just barely. He looked like he was deep in thought, with his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth set in a frown.

"Rude?" Reno spoke up.

"Hm?" Rude glanced toward him for a half-second, then fixed his stare back on the road ahead.

"Are you… like… Are you sure you're not pissed at me?" Reno swallowed.

"What?" Rude looked back toward him, for longer this time before looking back out the windshield. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Well… I totally fucked up our mission here… The boss is gonna be mad that we killed the guy without getting answers, and we weren't even supposed to kill him at all. He's got friends in high-ish places and this might complicate shit. We weren't supposed to kill him... and it's because I screwed up and drank a drugged fuckin' drink." Reno frowned. "That's like one of the first fuckin' things they teach us, right? Not to drink random shit that our enemies give us? I mean, they don't even have to teach that. It's common damn sense, but I'm a fucking idiot... Like, fuck, man… That was dumb."

Rude shook his head. "I'm not mad." He insisted.

"Well, I'll take the fall on this." Reno went on. "If anyone's mad and it comes down to someone getting in trouble for fucking this up… You don't have to take any blame. I'll take the blame."

"No." Rude shook his head. "We're partners. We succeed together and we fail together. We both screwed up. You were reckless… I was thinking with my heart instead of my head. I acted too fast and let my anger get the better of me. If anything I'm more to blame here than you are. At least you didn't kill our informant. That was all me."

Reno nodded, but he knew Rude wouldn't have had to kill the guy if Reno didn't screw up in the first place.

"I'm just glad I got there in time." Rude whispered.

Reno narrowed his eyes as he stared at his partner, noticing Rude's lower lip trembling ever so slightly, like he was trying hard to hold back tears.

With a small exhale, Reno shook his head. "Don't cry, Rude…" He grimaced. If Rude started crying right now, Reno was gonna cry too.

Rude shook his head, but said nothing. Reno could see tears shining in the other man's eyes.

"It's okay… I'm okay…" Reno breathed, reaching across the seat with a tired arm and placing his hand lightly on Rude's shoulder. "It wasn't that bad… You got there fast… I wasn't alone with him for long. Don't be upset. Please don't be upset…"

Rude exhaled a slow, measured breath. "We shouldn't have split up. We're partners. We should have been together."

"But we were… You were right downstairs… You were close." Reno reminded him.

"I didn't know what was happening, Reno… I might not have come up when I did, but one of his guards mentioned that he drugs the young men he hires… If he hadn't said that…" Rude trailed.

"Oh…" Reno frowned, suddenly realizing that if not for the right coincidences falling into place, perhaps Rude wouldn't have come up to check on him. If the man had waited even ten more minutes, Cal would have really hurt him.

"We're not doing shit like this anymore. We're not posing as escorts, going alone into rooms with dangerous perverts…" Rude frowned. "It's one thing to go do jobs, but to put ourselves into positions like that…"

"Well, we could just be more careful-" Reno suggested.

"No. We're not doing it. We're not taking that kind of risk anymore. I'm putting my damn foot down." Rude frowned. "It shouldn't be part of the job that you've got to put yourself alone in a hotel room with a rapist. That's not acceptable. I'm not standing by and letting you be put into that position. It was a dangerous plan - dangerous in a way that's just not necessary. We should have never done it this way."

Reno swallowed. He'd never seen his partner so angry before. Rude often seemed annoyed - usually with Reno actually - but he rarely saw the man actually angry - like pissed-off angry.

"This was my idea… I made it into a joke. I shouldn't have. I didn't realize you'd be in real danger. I thought the guy just liked hiring prostitutes… I didn't realize he was a rapist." Rude frowned. "And this morning I was laughing about this… Reno, I'm so fucking sorry…"

"But it was funny at first… Remember, I told Elena to take the job when we were told the best way to get the guy alone was to have one of us pose as an escort… And she got pissed off…" Reno laughed nervously.

Rude shook his head, still frowning, not remembering the conversation with the same fondness as Reno did.

"And then Tseng said it was male prostitutes though, so you suggested me… and Elena had this smug look on her face, but then was mad again when I eagerly agreed to do it… Because she thought I'd be offended and I wasn't…" Reno remembered with a smirk.

"It's not funny now though." Rude frowned, pulling the car up into the parking space in front of his apartment building.

Reno shrugged. "It kind of is… I mean, not what he tried to do, but… I mean, it's sorta funny that we went in there looking for a name… Like, it should'a been pretty clean and simple… And we left with me drugged outta my mind, half-passed out… With our informant fuckin' dead on the floor. Damn, Rude… If we don't get fired for this… It's gonna be one for the books. Like a Turks record of fucking something up as much as possible with no good reason."

"You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Rude wondered as he looked across the seat at his partner with a worried frown.

"I'm sure. It's wearing off already." Reno persisted. "I just gotta get some sleep. I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Rude reluctantly agreed. "Can you walk?"

Reno shrugged, reaching out and opening his car door, then climbing out with a bit of effort. He closed his eyes and exhaled tiredly. "Yeah, I got it…" He spoke, standing still and catching his breath as Rude climbed out of his side of the car and walked around to meet Reno.

"I got you." Rude spoke in a low voice, wrapping his arm across Reno's back, resting his hand on the smaller man's waist to help hold him up.

"Sorry." Reno breathed, swallowing a lump in his throat and blinking his eyes open as he looked up at Rude with a pout.

"That's okay." Rude insisted. "We'll take the elevator."

"Do you think that guy's guards are gonna send people after us?" Reno mumbled as he let Rude practically drag him up the steps and toward the building's elevator. "Like, should I be worried? He was kind of a big deal in his circle of people, wasn't he? You don't get bodyguards if you're not a big deal to somebody..."

Rude shook his head. "We'll take them out if we have to. And there's more than just the two of us. We're not on our own."

"We will be if we get fired." Reno noted, closing his eyes and leaning against Rude's shoulder once they made it to the elevator. Now that he was up and walking again, he was realizing quickly just how exhausted he still felt. Regardless of the fact that he wanted to walk on his own, it just wasn't going to happen just yet.

Rude exhaled a small breath before pressing the elevator button and then easily grabbing Reno up into his arms, similarly to how he'd carried the smaller man out of the back of the hotel earlier tonight.

"Thanks, man." Reno closed his eyes again, leaning his forehead against Rude's chest. "I'm lucky to have you." He whispered.

"The feeling's mutual, Partner." Rude agreed, carrying Reno into his apartment and gently lowering him onto his sofa. "I'll go get you a pillow and some blankets. You want some water?" Rude asked.

Reno nodded, closing his eyes. That tiny walk - during which Rude did most of the work - had taken every bit of energy he had left. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to be remain awake long enough to enjoy the water, pillow, or blanket.

But that was okay. Just knowing he was here with Rude was comfort enough. He was safe here. He wouldn't be hurt or judged. Rude would keep him safe and not think any less of him for this.

As Reno felt sleep taking over his mind, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. They really fucked up tonight, but if nothing else went right, they did still have each other. Like Rude said, they succeeded as a team and they failed as a team.

No matter what else happened, they were always in it together.

xxxxxx


	5. Chapter 5

xxxxxx

Chapter 5

xxxxxx

"If you get cold, I've got more blankets." Rude called out as he sifted through his linen closet, selecting one of the nicer, thicker blankets he had inside. "I can turn the heat up too if you prefer, and you're welcome to use the shower, but we might wanna wait until you're a little more awake." Rude suggested, closing the closet and picking up the pillow he'd already retrieved from his bedroom a moment before.

It only made sense to wait for the shower, regardless of the fact that the warm water would likely help Reno calm down, relax, feel more secure and clean… Sure, Rude could help his partner into the shower, check in on him every couple minutes to make sure he hadn't passed out. He could have even ran him a bath instead and stayed in the room the whole time to make certain Reno wouldn't get himself hurt in the process - but to save them both the awkwardness of Reno needing help to bathe, they could just put it off for a few hours.

The last thing Rude wanted was to have to drag his partner into and out of a bath while the younger man was limp and disoriented. A shower just wasn't emergency enough to put them both through the whole ordeal. What Reno needed most now was sleep.

"We'll sleep this off and I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning." Rude noted as he walked back into the room with a spare pillow on top of the neatly folded blanket in his arms."I'd offer you the bed, but judging by how you sank directly into the sofa when we got here-" He cut himself off when he noticed Reno slumped down on the couch cushions, his eyes closed and his breaths even. He was seemingly already asleep.

"You awake?" Rude spoke in a lower tone as he stepped closer. Reno didn't respond. "Alright…" Rude nodded slightly to himself, carefully reaching down and lifting Reno's head high enough to slide the pillow under it.

Rude started unfolding the blanket next, but paused with a frown as he looked his partner over. The jacket he'd given to the younger man was falling off one shoulder, exposing his chest, which had little droplets of blood which had dribbled down from his nose. The hint of bruises Rude had noticed before on the young man's cheek and jaw were darker now, and of course the blood from his nose was on his face too. It had run down over his lips and chin, and somehow a bit of it had gotten smudged onto his cheek and neck, likely while he attempted to fight off his attacker.

With a small exhale, Rude placed the blanket on the sofa's arm rest. He couldn't just let Reno lay here with dried blood all over him.

So he made his way into the kitchen, collecting a dish towel and wetting it under the sink, then filled up a couple glasses of water - Reno would probably want one when he woke up, and Rude could certainly use a drink at this point. Then he headed back.

Placing one glass on the table next to the sofa, Rude drank about half of what was in the other, then set it down too. Then he squatted in front of the sofa and set to work carefully cleaning away the dried blood on his partner's skin.

He started with the easiest part - the tiny specks and dribbles of crimson down Reno's chest. There wasn't much there. If Rude had to guess, Reno had been hit when he was on his back, so the blood would have pooled under his nose more than running down, but he must have tried to sit up while it was still bleeding, because some of it had made it down over his lips and chin. The errant smudges had likely happened as Reno struggled, maybe when Cal had forced him onto his stomach. Surely Reno fought back hard when that happened. The poor young man had to have been positively terrified.

Rude frowned as he thought about it - about everything his partner had been through tonight. He'd been hit hard enough to make his nose bleed, his shirt had been taken off of him - definitely by force. Reno wouldn't have taken it off on his own… Then at some point the man had forced him onto his front, wrestled down his pants… Poor Reno was actually sobbing by the time Rude got there.

This wasn't something quick. Reno wasn't surprised by what was happening by the time Rude stepped in. He was devastated, terrified, even defeated… It was clear the younger man knew exactly what was coming and had all but completely given up on rescuing himself or being rescued by anyone else. Every bit of fight he had in him had already been expended by the time Rude came to his rescue. The poor young man must have fought so hard. That mixed with the drugs had him completely and utterly exhausted.

Rude wondered how long his partner was upstairs being hurt before he got there. Did the guy give him the drink right away? Was Reno up there gloating and spilling their master plan to the man for a while first before he drank it? Then what? Did he slowly feel dizzy and weak? Did the man let him worry and speculate for a while before actually doing anything? Or did he grab him right away?

Reno fought back, even if he couldn't give it the strength and speed he usually would have. He fought back as best as he could… It must have been frustrating to want so badly to fight like he usually did, but to be unable to do so.

What was Reno thinking as it all unfolded? When did he know he was in trouble? Did the drug take affect right away? Did he get the chance to fight back harder at first only to grow weaker and less coordinated as the attack progressed? Or was he at a physical disadvantage right away?

Reno said he called out to Rude, but Rude hadn't heard him. He came to check on his partner because of what the guards had said. He wouldn't have gone up for at least ten more minutes otherwise. But he wondered how long Reno had screamed for him, how the younger man felt when it took Rude so long to get there. Did he think Rude wasn't coming?

Reno had looked and sounded so fucking defeated by the time Rude arrived on the scene. He wasn't doing that thing he did when he was outmatched but still trying anyway. He wasn't lashing out, screaming, kicking, cursing… He was just crying. Limp, breathless, sobbing. Reno had given up on getting himself out of the situation, and judging by the fact that he wasn't screaming for help either, he'd given up on Rude saving him too. And his voice was weak and strained by the time Rude got there. Probably from all the screaming he did that no one heard.

Frowning and furrowing his brows, Rude put his fingertips lightly against Reno's forehead, brushing some loose strands of hair out of his eyes, then dragging the wet cloth across a smudge of blood on his cheek, drawing back with a grimace when Reno let out a small whimpering noise and flinched back.

"It's just me." Rude whispered, placing a hand lightly on Reno's shoulder. "You're okay. It's just me." Rude said again, frowning when he noticed what looked like the start of a few long, slender bruises on his partner's throat. When he leaned in closer, he noticed a few of them may have in fact been hickeys.

With an angry stare, Rude cocked his head to the side and reached toward the marks, moving Reno's ponytail away from where it had fallen so he could see better. That son of a bitch must have grabbed Reno's neck… Choked him… The longer marks were definitely bruises. Maybe he did that when Reno screamed, to keep him quiet… Or as a threat.

Maybe that's why Reno wasn't fighting so much anymore by the time Rude got there, because the guy choked him. Maybe he almost choked him to unconsciousness and threatened to do it again if Reno didn't stop fighting back.

Rude wanted to cry thinking about it - about his partner lying on that bed, drugged, vulnerable, hurt… with that hulking brute looming over him, disregarding his crying and pleading, hurting him, choking him, potentially threatening to do worse, kissing and sucking up his neck... The disgusting bastard actually sucked on Reno's neck enough to create visible marks... It wasn't just the quick yet horrible scenario Rude had pictured. The man hadn't grabbed Reno and immediately moved toward the worst thing right before Rude got there. It wasn't quick and simple. It was a long, tedious assault, with groping, kissing, choking... Reno had been suffering through the violent, terrifying nightmare almost the entire time Rude lost sight of him.

Thinking about it made Rude feel both sick and angry. Imagining the man on top of Reno, forcing kisses on him, pulling his clothes off of him, hitting him, pinning him down... Calvin had done enough damage in less than twenty minutes to bring a strong, assertive, stoic man to shaking, whimpering, hysterical tears. Rude knew Reno had been crying during it, because the younger man was still crying when Rude got there… Calvin clearly hadn't cared. Maybe that was even his goal.

Picturing it in his mind made his heart hurt. Reno had likely pushed and shoved, hit, kicked, thrashed, squirmed, cried and screamed, begged… Anything to stop the man from hurting him. But none of it had worked. Calvin wouldn't have stopped if Rude hadn't made him.

Bile rose in his throat as Rude remembered that - the fact that he almost hadn't gone up to check on Reno at all. He wouldn't have gone upstairs when he did if the guards hadn't said what they said. He would have remained worried, but ultimately he'd have waited longer, not wanting to risk the job. If the guard hasn't mentioned Cal's habit of drugging the young men he pursued, Rude wouldn't have gotten there in time.

He wasn't sure how long he'd have waited… but he was sure Reno would have suffered horribly for it. Even just five more minutes would have been excruciating. Calvin was straddling Reno, rubbing himself while Reno laid face-down under him when Rude got there. Reno's pants were down. He was just laying there, weakly sobbing, with Cal looming over him, so close to hurting the younger man in the worst way. He was ten seconds from raping Reno, and Reno most certainly hadn't been in any position to fight back. If Rude hadn't gone up when he did, it would have happened for sure.

Sticking his lower lip out in a small pout, Rude ran his fingertips gently over the subtle bruise on his partner's neck. It was shaped like a thumb print. Calvin had grabbed a hand there, squeezed, choking Reno's breath out of his lungs, perhaps threatening to squeeze harder, perhaps threatening to end his life if Reno didn't go along with whatever he wanted to do.

Rude didn't realize Reno had woken back up until the younger man brought his hand up toward Rude's, grabbing lightly at his wrist and pulling his partner's hand away from his neck.

"What are ya doin' Rude?" Reno whispered, blinking up at his partner. "Finally decided to strangle me in my sleep?" He forced a small laugh.

Rude exhaled and shook his head, smiling slightly and allowing Reno to maintain his hold on Rude's arm.

"Remember last week? You told me you would." Reno smirked, referencing a throwaway comment Rude had made during their last assignment. Reno had nearly driven the car straight into a pole - or at least Rude thought he nearly did. Reno claimed he had it under control the whole time and that Rude was being dramatic for claiming it was a near-accident. Rude had given up on arguing and told Reno he was going to kill him in his sleep. It was a joke, of course.

They were always joking. Mostly Reno joked and Rude silently rolled his eyes, pretended he didn't think it was funny, acted annoyed by it, but he enjoyed Reno's humor, his wit. Rude never knew what to say. His comebacks were awkward, or entirely absent. Reno always had something sarcastic or just flat out mean to say. The younger man didn't even have to put thought into his often vulgar, harsh words. Rude really admired that about his partner - how quick yet somehow still calculated his words were.

Every now and then Rude tried his hand at saying something blunt or shitty. It never came out as smoothly as when Reno did it. Sometimes Reno's quick wit actually had Rude feeling like an idiot, but he knew the reverse was true as well. Reno had told him once that he wished he was capable of being quiet and thinking before speaking - that his blurted insults and arrogant remarks had gotten him into trouble more times than he could count. He specifically told Rude that he admired his ability to think before acting or speaking. It was strange to hear praise and self-critique from someone like Reno, but Rude appreciated it.

He supposed that was what made them a good fit as partners. Reno did the talking. Rude did the thinking. Reno did the quick, sometimes sneaky - something reckless stuff, and Rude did the heavy lifting and detailed plans. Reno needed Rude to back him up so he could do the quick, thoughtless stuff without getting hurt though. Rude had failed at that tonight. Reno did his usual over-confident, reckless routine… and Rude had sat back waiting, letting his partner get hurt and humiliated. Rude should have kept a better watch on the situation. Quietly watching the details was what he did best, and he just didn't do it tonight. He let Reno out of his sight, and he shouldn't have.

Rude felt a hint of tears stinging at his eyes as he furrowed his brows and stared back at his partner, who was starting to pull himself up into a sitting position.

Reno stared back at him with wide eyes and a frown. "What's wrong?" The younger man whispered. "Are we in trouble with the boss? Did I get us fired?" He grimaced. "Just tell 'em it was all me, Rude. I'm the one who fucked this all up. You shouldn't get fired for it." Reno frowned.

"No." Rude shook his head. "I'm pretty sure we'll be forgiven for this one. As long as we don't make it a habit." He answered.

"Okay…" Reno breathed, swallowing nervously. "So why you lookin' at me like I'm dying?"

Rude closed his eyes and exhaled a half-laugh, then blinked them back open and put his hand lightly on Reno's knee. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to check on you." He admitted. "You must have been so scared…"

Reno swallowed, nodding slightly, then shrugging. "That's okay…" He forced a small laugh. "We've been over this already… I'm not… like mad at you. It's alright. I'm the one who didn't follow the script. You didn't know you needed to check in… I'm the one who fucked up, so in a way I guess it's good it was me he hurt, since I-"

"No." Rude interrupted. "Reno, stop. You didn't deserve what he did… and I would have traded places with you in a heartbeat. It's not good that he hurt you instead of me, Reno. Don't say that."

"Okay…" Reno looked down, noticing the red-stained cloth in Rude's hands. "What's that?" He nodded toward it.

Rude looked down as well. "Oh… I was just cleaning you up a bit." He shrugged.

"Really?" Reno smirked, reaching his fingers up toward the dried blood under his nose. "Well, you didn't do a very good job." He laughed.

"Haven't gotten that far. Sit back and I'll finish." Rude instructed, sitting himself down on the couch next to his friend and bringing the cloth up toward Reno's nose.

Reno grimaced slightly and shrunk away when the cloth touched his face.

"Sorry…" Rude frowned, quickly drawing his hand back. "Guess that probably hurts. He hit you hard, huh?"

"It's not that bad." Reno breathed, forcing a small laugh and looking away as though embarrassed. "I don't know why I flinched…"

"You wanna just wash your face in the sink instead? Or… I mean, you can wait and take a shower when you're more awake…" Rude suggested, wondering if he needed to be more careful being physically close to his partner right now. Just hours ago Reno had been assaulted. Someone pinned him down, forced kisses up and down his throat, probably on his mouth too. It made since that maybe being touched in certain ways might cause the younger man to flinch.

Reno swallowed and stared back, looking conflicted, but not answering right away.

"I won't do it if it's making you nervous." Rude frowned. "I don't want to hurt you. Just didn't think you'd want to lay here with blood all over you all night... It's up to you how and when we clean it off, okay? I don't have to be involved if you want to take care of it yourself."

"No. It's okay… I just… You can do it... It was like an automatic impulse I guess… He hit me pretty hard and it kinda hurts even without anybody touchin' it." Reno laughed breathlessly. "It's fine. Just got kinda nervous. You didn't even hurt me… I just… Guess I'm kinda jumpy. Go head… Just be careful."

"I'm always careful." Rude noted, lightly dabbing the cloth under Reno's nose.

"Yeah. You are." Reno laughed. "Thanks, man… Feel like a little kid." He noted, tilting his face up a bit so Rude could see better.

"You act like a kid." Rude noted. "Like a really dangerous kid with anger management problems, but still a kid."

Reno laughed breathlessly, but didn't disagree.

"Tell me if I hurt you." Rude ordered, working as carefully as possible. "Or if you want me to back off - no matter what the reason."

Reno stuck out his lip slightly as his partner worked. Rude noticed the younger man's mouth tremble slightly, as though he was fighting back the start of tears.

"You okay?" Rude paused. "If I'm hurting you, you've gotta tell me. If this is too much, we can just wait until you can take a shower. It'll come off easy under warm, running water."

"You're not hurting me." Reno whispered, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm just getting too far into my own head… I gotta stop worrying."

"You're allowed to be upset, Reno." Rude frowned, narrowing his eyes as he took in his partner's expression. Reno had been through something terrifying tonight. Being upset was perfectly reasonable.

"I know… But I already was upset earlier. I'm over it. It's done." Reno forced another laugh and shrugged again. "I'm okay."

"Alright." Rude nodded, pausing for a moment before adding. "But it's okay if you aren't… If you're not okay, and you need to talk…" He trailed off.

"Got it. That's what you're here for, right?" Reno smiled slightly, but his eyes still looked sad.

"That's right." Rude stared back.

"So… I guess next time somebody's gotta play the role of a hooker, we'll let you do it." Reno shrugged, forcing a laugh as he blinked away the shine in his eyes. It was clear he was trying to make light of this to keep himself from getting upset.

Rude rolled his eyes at the comment, knowing Reno probably felt the same way he did - that posing as prostitutes wasn't going to be something they were willing to do anymore after this. Not unless they both got to stay in the same room together. It just wasn't worth the risk to split up like they did. It was unnecessarily dangerous to bait this guy toward Reno like that, then send Reno off alone with him.

"How long were you down there with the guards while I was upstairs?" Reno frowned as Rude started working on the stream of crusted blood that had made it to his chin. "How long was I up there with him?"

Rude shrugged. "I don't know… Ten minutes? Fifteen?"

Reno nodded. "Felt like a lot longer." He forced a breathless laugh.

"Reno… I'm sorry it took me so long." Rude frowned, working on the last bit of blood before looking back up into his partner's eyes. "I should have known something wasn't going right when you weren't done within five minutes. It never was supposed to take that long…"

Reno shook his head. "If you checked in too soon and things were going fine, it would have blown our cover. You didn't know… Rude, you did what you were supposed to. You did your part, then came and saved me when I fucked up mine. You didn't do anything wrong."

Shaking his head, Rude disagreed, settling back against the couch cushions and handing Reno the second glass of water he'd poured earlier. "The first priority of any job, for me, is to watch your back. I didn't. Not as you needed me to." Rude spoke. "I won't dwell on this. It won't help… I don't need you to convince me of anything. I don't need to convince you... But I do acknowledge that I could have been more vigilant."

"Fuck, man. You and me both." Reno laughed, taking a drink out of the glass before handing it back to Rude. "Least you weren't the one throwing back drugged drinks like it was nothing."

Rude shook his head silently, placing the pillow he'd retrieved earlier on his lap and watching as Reno laid his head down on it and settled down. Rude couldn't help but to smile slightly at how well their unspoken communication worked sometimes.

Grabbing the blanket off of the sofa's arm, Rude draped it over his partner, then placed his hand lightly on Reno's chest, feeling comforted by the gentle rising and falling of the younger man's soft breaths. Reno was calm now, content. He was safe here, and he knew it. His gentle breathing reflected that.

"You warm enough?" Rude wondered. He didn't think it was cold in here at all, but he hadn't forgotten how much Reno was shaking before, how the younger man hadn't stopped shaking until Rude turned the heat in his car all the way up even though it was pretty mild outside.

"Yeah. Thanks, Partner." Reno smiled.

"Anytime, Partner." Rude smiled back.

"You remember when we first got partnered up?" Reno said out of nowhere, closing his eyes as he spoke.

"Mm hm." Rude nodded.

"And we didn't really like each other." Reno laughed softly.

"Yeah." Rude laughed as well. "You were really irritating. Still are… I just got used to it and at this point it's endearing."

"Well…" Reno scoffed, but smiled slightly. "Thanks, I guess… I really didn't like you at first." He noted. "Felt like we weren't communicating worth a shit and it was gonna end in my death. Like, I was the only one between us who'd say more than two words at a time, and I never knew what you were thinking. Thought it was gonna get me killed - not ever knowing what your plan was..."

"You being reckless and frankly a little unhinged is what I expected to end our lives." Rude noted. "You sure talked enough for the both of us, but even so, you'd dart off doing reckless shit out of nowhere."

"Took us a minute to get the hang of each other I guess, but I think we work well together now." Reno shrugged. "Both of our annoying bullshit actually balances out pretty good… You wanna know when I realized I gave a shit about you?" He asked.

"Sure." Rude chuckled.

"That day we were lookin' for that materia in that old house, and some prick trying to get to it first caught the place on fire halfway through. Remember?" Reno asked, blinking as he looked up at Rude.

"Yes. I remember." Rude nodded, moving his thumb gently where his hand rested on his partner's chest. He was genuinely content now just feeling his partner's breaths, knowing the younger man was here with him, under his watch, safe.

"You saved me before you saved the materia." Reno remembered. "Up until then, it seemed like you were putting up with me because you had to. I even wondered if you were hoping my bullshit would get me killed so you could get a better partner, but you had the chance to leave me in there and you didn't."

Rude frowned. "Reno, I wouldn't have ever left you in that building. Even if I didn't like you."

"So you're saying you don't like me?" Reno laughed, raising his eyebrows as he looked up at Rude.

"No." Rude answered. "Of course I'm not saying that. Just… I would have saved you from burning to death even in the very beginning, even when I dreaded coming to work and seeing your annoying little face. I wouldn't have let you die. Ever."

Reno laughed softly, turning his head to the side and looking at the front of Rude's shirt. He placed his fingertips on one of the older man's shirt buttons. "So, anyway, I thought maybe you actually gave a shit about me at that point, but I didn't know I gave a shit back until you went back in for the materia… and the house collapsed, and I thought you were still in there." He spoke, his voice small, like the memory still bothered him.

Rude frowned, remembering getting out of the house just in time and finding Reno outside where he'd left him. The younger man had drawn his knees up to his chest and was on the verge of tears as he choked on smoke and shivered in the cool night air. He clearly had thought Rude was still inside and was upset by the thought of the man being gone.

Rude remembered vividly the look of relief on Reno's face followed by a rather unexpected hug upon seeing his partner was still alive. Reno had nearly passed out due to smoke inhalation that night - which was why Rude had had to drag him out of the building and go back in to finish the job without him. Rude saved him that night because it was the right thing to do - not because he cared about him as an individual person, but because they were partners and it was his job to watch his partner's back.

That wasn't the night Rude had realized he cared about Reno though. He didn't realize he cared about the aggressive little red head until a few months later when he found himself chasing after some guy down a dirty alley, seeking violent revenge.

The creep had gotten the upper hand on Reno during an altercation and beaten the young man to unconsciousness. Reno had ended up in the hospital with broken ribs and a concussion, and Rude had ended up way more pissed off than he realized he had the capacity to be. He could have just left it there, waited for Reno to heal, and moved on, but he found that wasn't enough and ended up tracking the guy down and killing him.

He hadn't realized he cared about Reno until then. That wasn't part of the job. He didn't have to kill the guy to keep his partner alive or to get a job done. The man wasn't dangerous to anyone. It wasn't personal to the guy. He wasn't going to come back and finish Reno off. Rude could have just let it go… but he didn't want to. The man was just a random nobody who got rough when Reno pissed him off. Not even close to someone Rude actually needed to take out. It wasn't necessary. It was nothing but revenge. But Rude did it anyway.

"Took everything in me not to fuckin' sob like a baby when I thought you were dead, Rude." Reno whispered, bringing Rude back to the other memory - the fire, the night he'd first seen genuine emotion other than anger and annoyance in his partner's face. "Felt like shit for needing you to drag me outta there and save me, and for not saving you back." Reno stuck out his lower lip in a pout as he recalled the incident.

"Well…" Rude frowned. "You weren't in any condition to be saving anyone." He noted, remembering Reno's shaking coughs and uncoordinated movements that night. "Guess now you learned at least to stay below the smoke in a burning building."

"Yeah. No shit." Reno laughed. "Did I ever thank you for that, by the way?" He frowned.

"You don't have to thank me for that." Rude noted. "It's my job to watch your back. As your partner, and as your friend. I've always got your back, Reno."

"I know." Reno laughed softly, his voice tired. "Still appreciate it, man. I don't think a thank you is outta order when you save my fucking life every other day."

Rude smiled slightly, reaching down with his hand not resting on Reno's chest and brushing some of the younger man's hair away from his eyes. He didn't know how his partner could stand having hair falling into his eyes all the time.

"Thanks for letting me stay here tonight." Reno whispered. "If I'd gone to my house instead I'd 'a just passed out on the couch without the fancy pillows and blankets and shit… Still with blood caked all over me… I know I'm being needy and it's probably annoying-"

"It's not." Rude interrupted. "I wanted to keep an eye on you. This is for my peace of mind as much as it's for your safety and you know it. It's not annoying, Reno."

"Heh…" Reno laughed. "I'd be annoyed if I were you." He noted.

"You're plenty annoying every other day of the year. Don't worry about it tonight." Rude reminded him. "I don't mind staying up to make sure you're alright."

Reno exhaled and snuggled down further against his partner's body, reaching for Rude's hand that was resting on his chest and placing his lightly on top of it, almost as though wanting to make sure the older man didn't go anywhere while he was asleep.

"I'm right here." Rude spoke, his voice soft. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." Reno breathed. "Not to be clingy… but…"

Rude shook his head. His partner didn't need to finish that thought. He understood. Reno didn't want to be alone. Rude didn't want to let Reno out of his sight for a while either, so this worked out for both of them.

"Let's go out for breakfast tomorrow." Reno mumbled as he was clearly starting to fall asleep.

"Sure." Rude smiled softly, putting his free hand against Reno's cheek and staring at the younger man's face.

"Could use some fuckin' scrambled eggs…" Reno's voice was tiny as he leaned slightly into Rude's touch. Maybe he was even already asleep, dreaming about breakfast, talking in his sleep. The words were so small and almost slurred.

"Whatever you want, Partner." Rude laughed lightly, leaning his own head back and closing his eyes. Tonight had been horrible up until now, but it didn't feel so dreadful anymore. Hopefully Reno felt the same.

xxxxxx

THE END

xxxxxx


End file.
